Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)
Genre: Non-Fiction, Education, Textbook, Language Arts, Rhetoric, Composition

Book Review:
''Reading for Rhetoric'' (Third Edition) is a foundational college-level textbook designed to bridge the gap between basic reading comprehension and advanced rhetorical analysis. Authored by Caroline Shrodes, Clifford Josephson, and James R. Wilson, its primary goal is to teach students how to read critically, identify rhetorical strategies (such as ethos, pathos, logos), and understand how language constructs meaning and argument. The book likely features a curated selection of essays, speeches, and other prose forms followed by analytical questions and exercises. Published by Macmillan, it was a standard resource in many English and Composition courses in the latter half of the 20th century. Its strengths would have been its clear pedagogical structure and focus on practical application of rhetorical principles. However, as a dated edition (the third), its reading selections and cultural references may feel outdated to contemporary students. For historians of education or those seeking a classic approach to rhetoric, it holds value. For current classroom use, more modern anthologies with diverse voices and contemporary issues would be preferable. It remains a solid representation of traditional rhetoric and composition pedagogy.