New English, Communication & Literature Titles

More recently reviewed English, Communication & Literature titles:

Almond, Steve. (Not That You Asked): Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions "Almond is leading a life as interesting and entertaining to read about as are the lives of fellow pop-lit contemporaries Dave Eggers and David Sedaris. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries." Library Journal 10/1/07

Crystal, David. The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left. "This engaging book encourages one to make appropriateness rather than correctness the cornerstone of usage--and along the way offers fascinating bits of linguistic history. " Choice Oct 2007


Gillett, Amy Speak Business English Like an American: Learn the Idioms & Expressions You Need to Succeed On The Job! "Enhanced with the addition of an audio CD, Speak Business Like An American is the ultimate instructive guide to the hundreds of expressions and idioms heard at the workplace daily." Midwestern Book Review March 2006


Golley, Nawar Al-Hassan. Arab Women's Lives Retold: Exploring Identity Through Writing Examining late twentieth-century autobiographical writing by Arab women novelists, poets, and artists, this anthology explores the ways in which Arab women have portrayed and created their identities within differing social environments.

Hamilton, Nigel. Biography: a Brief History "Supported and explicated by lively studies like this one, biography may finally get the respect it deserves. Essential." Choice Oct 2007

McCall, Jeffrey. Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences. "Eschewing media literacy that focuses on one week without television or take-control-of-the-remote-control campaigns, McCall offers analysis of media elements from the First Amendment to the advent of video news releases." Booklist "Highly Recommended" Choice Oct 2007


Orem, Richard. Teaching Adult English Language Learners (The Professional Practices in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Series) This resource brings together information about policy, second language acquisition theory and research, methods and materials for teaching adult English language learners, program design, and cross-cultural issues that effect learning in adult ESL classrooms.

Shaw, Robert B. Blank Verse: A Guide to Its History and Use "This conversational, engaging study offers a much-needed reconsideration of blank verse and the poets who explore its intricacies. Essential." Choice Nov 2007

Kristin Weber

English, Communication & Literature Titles: October 2007

Howdy, English, Communication & Literature Professors! Here are some recent releases that received favorable reviews:

Baxter, Charles. The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot "The beauty of Baxter's inaugural entry in Graywolf's new "Art of" series, which draws on examples in literature to instruct on the writing craft, is that it doesn't assume to try and capture the whole of subtext. What book could? Instead, it focuses on very specific qualities composing it: the art of staging in a story, the importance of inflection in dialog, the ambiguity of motivation." Library Journal 9/1/07

Bayard, Pierre. How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read "...In a grand Swiftian style, the author offers a staunch, psuedodefense of the art of what he calls "non-reading," in which one must claim as all but divine the right to hold forth about books that one has skimmed, forgotten, or failed to read at all." Booklist 9/15/07

Capote, Truman. Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote "...It is easy to believe, with this book in hand, that Capote's true metier was the essay." Booklist 9/15/07

Martin, Philip. The New Writer's Handbook 2007: A Practical Anthology Of Best Advice For Your Craft & Career "Editor Martin begins a new annual anthology and from the preface by Erica Jong to the closing piece by Mary Pipher, it surprises and satisfies." Library Journal 9/15/07

Miller, Tom. How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life "...The essays cover issues that affect any immigrant population: the navigating of two worlds, language learning as lifelong learning, and the importance of bilingualism and maintaining connection to a native culture. A timely book, as immigration and bilingual education are current topics of debate in this country." Library Journal 9/15/07

Pamuk, Orhan. Other Colors: Essays and a Story "More than 75 short essays and interviews make up this collection, in which Nobel prize winner Pamuk passionately shares his thoughts and insights about growing up, his understanding and appreciation of the Mediterranean and Turkish cultures and their role in world politics, and his love of writing and literature." Library Journal 9/15/07

Pinker, Steven. The Stuff of Thought "...Drawing on philosophy, evolutionary psychology, physics, neurology, anthropology, and jokes, Pinker presents a convincing theory of conceptual semantics, itemizing the "fundamental ideas" that form the "language of thought." From politics to poetry, children's wonderful malapropisms to slang, Pinker's fluency in the nuances of words and syntax serves as proof of his faith in language as a window into human nature." Booklist 9/15/07

Revell, Donald. The Art of Attention: A Poet's Eye " Revell defines what it means to be fully attentive, describes the consequences of such a state, and explains how poets can renew their own lapsed attentions through the art of translation. " Library Journal 9/1/07

Be sure to let us know if you'd like for us to purchase any of these or any other titles!

Kristin Weber or David Willis