Readings!

Below you’ll find a list of all assigned readings.
(For the actual PDFS and dates each reading is required, you’ll need to visit our BLACKBOARD page.)

Excerpts from Chasing the Scream: Our excerpts will focus on new ways of understanding heroin addiction by looking at places like Vancouver, Canada. The entire book, though, seems to argue the value of legalizing drugs for the health and safety of those addicted. If you’re interested in knowing more about Hari’s research, check out his website: http://chasingthescream.com

Excerpt from One Man Against the World: Biographies are a great place to learn about succinct writing and history. Our excerpt focuses on a meeting between Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev, Former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The entire book summarizes Nixon’s presidency- controversy, resignation, and all; however, Weiner’s angle is of particular interest to me—Weiner shows readers just how paranoid Nixon was and the devastating cost of that paranoia. It’s also impossible not to see some parallels between the way Nixon antagonized the media and the way our current administration views the media. If you’re interested in finding out more about this book, the author, and/or Nixon, check out this interview: http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/15/414615258/fueled-by-fear-how-richard-nixon-became-one-man-against-the-world

Excerpt from Between the World and Me: You should read this book, if only for the amazing think pieces it has created. Check out The Atlantic’s lengthy list of posts in response to Coates’ book: https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/the-brutality-of-a-country/. Our excerpt is of interest because of Coates’ style. He’s writing to his son, but he’s also writing to himself. In thinking about summaries, it’s important to consider the value writing about someone or something has for your audience, but also the possible learning opportunities it creates for you the writer.

Profile on Germany’s Far-right leader: This short article is a great reminder of how valuable profiles are for an international readership. It also shows the way a summary of a singular person can shed light on larger issues that impact so many. Full text here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/03/the-new-star-of-germanys-far-right

Excerpt from Tyson’s Astrophysics for people in a hurry: If you struggle with reading comprehension and/or clarity in writing, read all books on science. Tyson and his colleagues know their audience might be unfamiliar with basic terms like atoms, so they do their best to define words for the amateur scientist, while also sharing more complicated theories for a more advanced physicist. Either way, you’ll see in the excerpt we read, Tyson is clear in what he’s trying to explain, and though it might take a couple of rereads, we come away understanding a little bit more about the universe. If you’re interested, check out this documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFzpAh-x_IY

Excerpt from Growing up with Dick and Jane: The excerpt you’ll read is a brief analysis of the characters of Dick and Jane. These two characters come from an old reader series used in schools. Notice how the author digs deep though to give us a bit more information on these characters that goes beyond just who they were in the books, but what they meant to generations of readers.

Excerpt from Everybody Lies: This excerpt will focus on trends that can help large corporations track consumer habits. The entire book is terrifying, mostly because it seems like with every click, someone you don’t know knows everything about you. The larger argument Davidowitz makes here is that data is important, but it becomes invaluable if we understand what questions we’re looking to answer. If you’re interested in more info, click here: http://sethsd.com/everybodylies/

Opinion piece, “What Data Can’t do:” Read this as a response to Davidowitz’ novel. Whose side are you on? Full text here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/opinion/brooks-what-data-cant-do.html

Excerpt from Adios America: The excerpt we’re going to read focuses on Coulter’s “environmental concerns” regarding immigration. The entire book, though, argues the need for tougher immigration policies. Specifically, the need for a dramatic decrease in the amount of immigrants crossing all of our borders. Full disclosure: I want you to read her to understand tone, rhetoric, and logical fallacies. I also think her work spawned a collection of responses that are valuable in understanding the makeup of an argument. Here’s a great response written in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2015/08/03/did-ann-coulters-new-book-inspire-donald-trumps-mexican-rapists-comment/?utm_term=.2b2e6c53ae22

Excerpt from Hillbilly Elegy: Vance writes this memoir as a love letter for his Ohio upbringing. The excerpt we’ll read is an interesting moment where Vance indicates the consequences of feeling disconnected from both your family’s values and the values of new peers. I hope after reading this excerpt you see the way Vance blends political writing, memoir writing, and argumentative writing. I also hope you consider writing a stylized piece like this about your own experiences (maybe for the research paper?).

Excerpt from White Rage: This book started as an opinion piece in The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ferguson-wasnt-black-rage-against-copsit-was-white-rage-against-progress/2014/08/29/3055e3f4-2d75-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.757f8c001eff.

Opinion piece, “White Supremacy” Full Text here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/13/america-white-supremacy-hooked-drug-charlottesville-virginia

Sample Literature Reviews: To be distributed in class

Video: O’ Reilly “Thinking Points”: (URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu-EpgN_EXY)