The Essay Connection

The Essay Connection presents a provocative and timely collection of rhetorically arranged essays by professional and student writers that stimulate critical thinking on ethical, social, and political issues, enabling students to make connections and write with a more informed point of view. The essays range from the personal to the scientific and cover a variety of modes--including narration, process analysis, comparison and contrast, and persuasion--to prompt students' interest in different disciplines and genres. Both the professionally written essays (by scientists, economists, and journalists among others) and the student ones inspire and motivate students who are taking composition as a requirement. Most essays are printed in their entirety, serving as better models for student writing than the excerpts often found in other readers. Throughout the text, Bloom offers practical, clear advice on the art of writing that compliments the essays. In addition, rich visuals, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction provide a full set of models to bolster critical-thinking, reading, and writing skills. The Eighth Edition offers more than 30 new essays to stimulate students' interest. In addition, an expanded argument casebook as well as new visuals, poems, and works of creative nonfiction and fiction build on the strengths of previous editions, while new material on the Online Study Center for students strengthens students' writing and reading comprehension skills.