Let's Get Writing!

Reviewed by Thomas Kneeland, Assistant Professor of English (Tenure-Track), Anderson University on 9/6/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

While there is no index at the end of the book, I believe that Let's Get Writing gives plenty of terminology, word charts, and exercises as well the appropriate contexts in which readers should think about the terms and concepts introduced.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

At this point, I've taught quite a few composition courses, and like many other texts I've used, Let's Get Writing does not disappoint. The content of the title does not display any hints of inaccuracy.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Writing pedagogy will always be in demand, because it largely shapes everything that we do. I'm thankful that this book allows readers to approach the concepts covered with confidence.

Clarity rating: 5

The technical jargon is needed in this book, but it doesn't take away from the overall learning experience.

Consistency rating: 5

From beginning to end, I was very pleased with Browning's use of guiding questions, key terms, and opportunities for real-life application.

Modularity rating: 5

What's beautiful about this book is that each chapter is broken down into either guiding questions or overarching concepts. For students, I feel that this modularity feature allows students to break up the information in a way that is digestible. For faculty, it is a great tool for lesson planning.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I believe that Browning was intentional about organizing the chapters in a way that they could be read out of order and still achieve a level of comprehension and mastery of skills in others. For example, in my course, we're starting with "Chapter 4: The Writing Process" instead of "Chapter 1: Critical Reading".

Interface rating: 5

Let's Get Writing, in both PDF and the online format, is user-friendly and provides clear navigation to each section with ease. The images are also clear and vibrant to allow for readability.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were no grammatical errors in this title.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I will say that a book like Let's Get Writing is more about understanding the dynamics of writing, rather than the cultural contexts in which we write. To this end, I think that the book was effective in reaching a multitude of readers. One's experience with American conventions of writing, would only be enhanced by reading this title.

Reviewed by Kelly Clasen, Professor of English, Hutchinson Community College on 12/20/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text presents standard composition content in language that is accessible to its target audience, and key concepts are arranged in a logical fashion. The book contains sufficient information, along with supplemental exercises and links to additional outside readings, for immediate use in the composition classroom.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book's content is on par with that of other traditionally published composition textbooks; the authors' experience in the field is clear. The text also appears to have been carefully edited for clarity, flow, and concision. While there is some unusual spacing in article title links, these links appear work consistently.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

While the text takes a rather traditional approach to teaching composition, it includes links to a nice range of still-relevant articles and essays, some of which I have seen appear in print composition textbooks published within the last decade. The MLA content in the text will need to be edited to reflect the most recent style guide changes, yet this is the case with any MLA resource used in a composition class.

Clarity rating: 5

The book's prose is appropriate to its college-writing audience and generally void of jargon. In general, even subject-specific terms are explained using direct, accessible language. The authors do an especially nice job of explaining rhetorical terms (pathos, egos, logos, kairos, etc.) in everyday language and via modern examples. While the chapter on argument tends to run a bit long, helpful images help exemplify various logical fallacies. Additionally, the "tiered" approach to evaluating sources is a thoughtful way of helping students categorize different types of articles and (hopefully) make the best selections for their research assignments.

Consistency rating: 4

Helpful graphics, visual aids, and links invigorate the first half of the book or so, yet these drop off somewhat by Ch. 6. The book becomes more text-heavy toward the end and less visually engaging. Various grammatical topics are only briefly addressed, and I think adding in more supplemental materials--visual aids and/or links to additional practice exercises or handouts, for example--would add some depth to the final chapters and bring those more in balance with the detailed, visually lively opening chapters.

Modularity rating: 3

While the overall layout of the book is logical, I felt overwhelmed by the inclusion of eight rhetorical modes in a single chapter (Ch. 5). I believe that if each rhetorical mode is not going to be explored in its own chapter, these modes should at least be separately linked in the overall course content menu. Adding subtopic links to the "Writing Basics" and "Punctuation" chapters in the content menu would also improve ease of access.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I especially like the inclusion of the first chapter on "Critical Reading," which is clearly geared toward students transitioning into a college learning environment. Other topics/chapters flow logically from that point on, introducing students to standard composition ideas--the rhetorical triangle and writing process, for example--and moving into an overview of various rhetorical modes, how to locate and evaluate sources, citation methods, and mechanics.

Interface rating: 4

I think the overall content menu could be more robust to help offset the navigational challenges associated with some of the longer chapters, and especially Ch. 5, "Rhetorical Modes." Additionally, Ch. 6, "Finding and Using Outside Sources," and Ch. 7, "How and Why to Cite," link frequently to college-specific library and documentation resources. Faculty at other institutions would likely need to redirect students to their own school's databases and other resources or perhaps create supplemental research guides for use with these chapters.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any grammatical errors; however, the language on pronouns (Ch. 8) is very general and could be edited to use the increasingly accepted singular "they"--or to at least acknowledge the important historical evolution of pronouns.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text links to example articles and essays from a diverse body of writers. As noted, the only culturally insensitive aspects appear in the chapter on "Writing Basics," which seems outdated in its approach to pronouns. In general, the approach to "Writing Basics" seems outdated as many books have started to include sections highlighting the importance of inclusive language.

Comments

Thank you for making this content accessible to the public.

Reviewed by Julia Cafritz, Adjunct Professor, Holyoke Community College on 6/29/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Let's Get Writing! is the typical freshman composition textbook, covering all the basics in a methodical but lively way. Some chapters feel long, particularly Chapters 2 - Rhetorical Analysis and Chapter 3- Argument. It's all good material but I think they could have been broken up in more digestible way. While there are plenty of useful writing exercises throughout, the actual discussion of the Writing Process doesn't happen until Chapter 4. Let's Get Writing...in a bit... after we go over the whole Western history of rhetoric and argument first.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book seems accurate and error-free, other than a few broken hyperlinks. Content sources clearly identified and made available.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This book is very similar to, and in some ways better (lots of interesting and up to date periodical readings) than the current equivalent expensive textbook company Freshman Comp texts. It covers all the basics.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is easy to read and follow: terms are defined, examples are provided, readings are interesting and well-chosen, and writing assignments are clear. The use of text boxes, tables, charts, and infographics break up the pages and make it more readable.

Consistency rating: 4

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework; chapters follow a similar format.

Modularity rating: 5

Easily broken up into more manageable reading and homework assignments.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The order of the chapters could be rearranged. I'd separate the Rhetorical Analysis and Argument chapters because they're a lot to wade through one after the other.

Interface rating: 4

Navigating through the text is easy and straightforward. The graphics aren't particularly sophisticated or visually pleasing, but they are clear, for the most part. Most , but not all, of the hyperlinks worked/were easily accessed.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I spotted no grammatical errors .

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

While there is some attempt to make the linked readings culturally diverse, the textbook itself is very rooted in white, Western, mostly American, values, examples and perspectives. There is no discussion of non-standard English or anti racist writing practices. Instead, we get lost in the weeds of the Rogerian v. Toulmin argumentative models. Nothing offensive but the omissions are notable. Just because this is pretty typical of the category, doesn't mean it's acceptable.

Reviewed by Ashley Ott, Adjunct Assistant Professor, College of DuPage on 4/23/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Let's Get Writing! offers a standard menu of first-year writing topics, presented in 10 discrete chapters. Instructors and students will universally benefit from the canonical rhetorical situation discussion and the book's homage to critical reading. These authors balance text-heavy chapters with multimodal features that engage their readers: frequent infographics, linked materials, student exercises, and "Tip" boxes allow for quick navigation of this online educational resource.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The content of this textbook is mostly accurate, although I would like to see some added content on discourse communities (under the rhetorical situation chapter) and some awareness of inclusive and anti-racist writing practices/strategies that may be easily accommodated in the "Writing Basics" or "Working with Words" chapters. I am happy these authors have included live links, but some of them do not work (cf. the External Links section on page 134-135).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The examples provided have universal qualities, though there are active links that are no longer working. Where I teach there has been a push to move toward multimodal assignments that overlay traditional essay genres, an emphasis that is beyond the scope of this book, but an area nonetheless, that may be easily addressed and/or developed in this text's future instantiations.

Clarity rating: 5

Terminology is often clarified and/or elaborated upon so that key concepts become familiar in many different settings. For example, on page 13, Browning explains that "Your instructor may use the term“main point” interchangeably with other terms, such as thesis, main argument, main focus, or core concept." A key terms and concepts index and/or glossary (missing from this book) would benefit this audience.

Consistency rating: 3

Font and color schemes are uniform across chapters, although there needs to be more consistency of form in terms of chapter organization (from one chapter to the next). The variation of placement and inclusion of text content, images, links, "Tip "boxes, "Key Takaways," exercises, and example writing are inconsistent across chapters, hindering user accessibility.

Modularity rating: 5

This book is easily divisible into smaller reading sections as each of the 10 chapters (in addition to the forward and introduction) are linked from the Contents menu.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

This book offers a clear organization scheme that works from conceptual thinking (critical reading and rhetorical analysis) to the technical aspects of reading and writing (reading research, writing with clarity and precision). I do suggest revising the placement of the "Rhetorical Modes" (chapter 5) so that it follows directly from chapter 3, "Rhetorical Analysis." Currently, these two chapters are separated by "The Writing Process" (chapter 4).

Interface rating: 3

There are many small interface issues, especially with linked (tinyURL) material. There are also areas where page breaks divide content mid-section. For example, the material discussing Brian Williams appears on page 24, but his portrait is placed aside content that discusses Marilee Jones at the beginning of page 25, which may cause confusion.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

I would like to see more consistency of audience in this book. Generally this writing is addressed to a student, the second person "you," but at other times this address encompasses "we" (the writers of this book), "us" (writers more generally?), and "the student" (aimed at an instructor audience).

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way, although there is much wanting in the way of inclusive readings and examples from a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Again, there must be some discussion and awareness of inclusive and anti-racist writing practices/strategies.

Comments

Thank you for using and acknowledging the beautiful cover art from student Noah Sutphin!

Reviewed by Cara Miller, Associate Professor of English, Anderson University on 3/18/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book is excellent in its beginning chapters about reading critically, understanding the rhetorical situation, analyzing arguments, and working through the writing process. These chapters provide a lot of depth in terms of key terms, underlying strategies, and connections to student writing. For instance, the chapters on reading discuss important concepts and strategies that can be applied to writing tasks. I also appreciated that the chapters drill down into specifics of things like context cues and language indicators. On the other hand, the chapters that deal with research (particularly chapter 6 on outside sources) seem a little thin, especially when compared to the depth in the other chapters.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of the book is accurate. It is helpful that the authors provide links to their sources and examples.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book is very relevant for freshmen in first-year composition. The chapters relate directly to key rhetorical concepts and drafting strategies to help students meet their writing goals. Again, the depth of terms and the connections to specific reading and writing tasks add value to the text and make it even more relevant for first-year students who struggle with these same concepts.

Clarity rating: 5

Clarity is a strength for the text. It is written in a way that is accessible for college students. It defines key terms and also includes tips and explanations of underlying conventions or assumptions that instructors may fail to make explicit. It also provides a list of key takeaways at the end of each section, links to worksheets and sample essays, and helpful graphics.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 4

The text is easily divided into small readings. Each chapter has several sections with their own headings. However, individual sections and chapters are scaffolded in such a way that it would be difficult to read them out of order and have the same level of understanding.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book begins with basic reading and rhetorical concepts and then moves into writing strategies that stem from this foundation. The book is organized in a top-down way, beginning with more fundamental concepts of genre, structure, and idea development and then ending with sentence-level issues related to grammar, punctuation, and formatting. This mirrors the writing process itself and seems like a logical organization for the book.

Interface rating: 4

The navigation is effective. Internal links on the Table of Contents page as well as at the top of each chapter make it easy to navigate the textbook. I noted a few minor issue with graphics that went off the page or white space that seemed excessive.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn't notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

There isn't a big focus on students from different racial or ethnic backgrounds, which might have added nuance and a level of sensitivity. For instance, the chapter on sentence basics is really helpful, but doesn't acknowledge the different ways of writing and speaking for people from non-mainstream cultures and backgrounds. While the book might have provided more sensitivity or focus on these issue, it certainly isn't offensive. In fact, its tone is very respectful of students and their writing abilities. It also provides transcripts of videos to enhance access.

Comments

We've adopted this book for our first-year composition students next year, and I'm excited to use it. There are lots of clear explanations as well as interesting and helpful activities that I can utilize in class and as homework.

Reviewed by Zaragoza Maricela, English Adjunct Instructor, California State University, Dominguez Hills on 8/13/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text provides key information on Critical Reading, The Writing Process, Rhetoric, Citing Sources, and Grammar with appropriate examples and illustrations. This book is convenient in that it is concise but to the point, which is very convenient for instructors who use their own examples or materials to expand on specific subjects.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This text provides an unbiased view of the material, especially when it comes to the examples of argumentation. Many textbooks rely on political illustrations to provide examples of the material, but this text doesn't, which is a relief for many instructors who want to shy away from controversial topics.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The material is up-to-date and relevant, which makes the text relatable to both the instructor and the students.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clear and to the point; it does not drag out the material in order to fill pages like many other textbooks. The authors use technical terminology and explain/define each term in a manner that is understandable to students who have not come across this material.

Consistency rating: 4

The way in which the textbook is framed is consistent as it follows a consistent format of the introduction of terminology with a clear explanation, followed by an of the illustration of the terminology by way of both textual and visual examples.

Modularity rating: 5

The organization of the content is what drew me in since the text is organized by main topics which are then divided into respective smaller topics. Each chapter can be divided into its own sub-sections that are organized in a logical manner because each topic builds upon the information from the previous sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The organization of the text is quite logical, except for the arrangement of the chapters on "Rhetorical Analysis" (Chapter 2) and "Argument" (Chapter 30) come before the chapter on "The Writing Process" (Chapter 4) seem a bit off considering that the first chapter focuses on "Critical Reading."

Interface rating: 3

The interface between the user and the textbook is a manageable one, but there might be some issues depending on the platform the user is viewing the text. I downloaded the PDF version of the text in order to have less interference with the text, but if instructors or students are using an online version that is not provided by the Publisher, Pressbooks, the user can face some display issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors and is easy to understand and follow.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

For the most part the text stays away from culturally and politically sensitive issues, but it should include examples that are more culturally diverse since most of the examples pertain to American life and culture.

Comments

This book is very easy to follow since it is concise and to the point. It makes using instructor's own materials on the subjects covered easy to integrate.

Reviewed by Mandy Geddes, Faculty, Community College of Aurora on 8/10/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The text covers foundational topics such as writing process and rhetorical analysis really well. There are excellent explanations and visual examples to help students make sense of each of the main ideas. The information about how and why to use sources is a little sparse. I'd like to see more nuance in how to integrate quotations, when to quote, and how/when to paraphrase. The text covers a few basic rhetorical modes (Narrative, Description, Process Analysis, Illustration and Exemplification, Cause and Effect, Comparison and Contrast, Definition, and Classification). It covers Narrative and Description well. The other modes aren't covered as extensively. The handbook information (which word is right and punctuation) are covered thoroughly.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I didn't see errors anywhere. I think the writers took care to edit and to make sure that their information was accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The only place I can see the text needing updating is in the MLA section, and really, who can ever keep up with MLA changes. The links out to sources and videos might be a problem in the future, but I actually think those links are a strength in this text. Rhetoric and the writing process don't change a whole lot, so the information will likely stay relevant.

Clarity rating: 5

I really appreciate the visuals that accompany the text. There are lots of infographics, charts, and visual aids to build meaning in non-textual ways. More difficult concepts (such as rhetorical appeals and logical fallacies) are thoroughly explained and have plenty of examples to help students make sense of and apply the ideas.

Consistency rating: 5

Again, I think the author's took great care in editing and maintaining accuracy and consistency. There is also consistency in formatting, which is helpful in navigation.

Modularity rating: 4

The chapters are LONG and cover a lot of information (for example, all of the rhetorical modes are in one chapter). However, those long chapters are broken into sections and there are links at the beginning of each chapter to "jump" students to the section they want to access. Students cannot use the table of contents to navigate to those sections, though, which makes the use of specific pieces of each module more difficult.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text begins with foundations (Writing Process and Rhetorical Analysis/Argumentation), then moves to Rhetorical Modes and source use, and then finishes with stylistic/editing issues.

Interface rating: 4

The visual elements are integrated really well. I wish the links to examples (videos and outside readings) were more prominent because those are really some of the strengths of this text. I stated before that the chapters are LONG and the only way to navigate to the separate parts of the chapter are through the links at the top of each chapter. It would be nice to be able to navigate using the table of contents. Overall, though, the user features are logical and intuitive.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn't see any errors. The writing is clear and reader friendly.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

This is a weakness of the text. The images of people (though few) are primarily white. The text examples are also primarily white. There are links out to some more diverse readings (Amy Tan, Sherman Alexie, and Sandra Cisneros), but those are not prominent in the text, nor are they integrated into any textual discussion; they are 'extras'. The text is also focused heavily on white values in writing (there are three chapters on "standard" language usage and only 1 chapter on rhetorical modes, and even that chapter isn't terribly focused on student experience or voice).

Comments

I can see using some chapters of this text as part of a more complete collection of OER to teach composition, but I wouldn't use this as a primary text because it isn't Culturally Responsive.

Reviewed by Rachel Hawley, Adjunct Professor, Community College of Aurora on 7/17/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book is fairly comprehensive. It includes sections on reading, argument, the writing process, revision and research and citation. It has the most extensive section on logical fallacies I have ever encountered. The only thing missing is really a discussion of different genres, including anything regarding visual argument.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is accurate and through. There were a few typos here and there, but nothing outlandish. Definitely seems to be unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content is up-to-date other than the lack of a section devoted to visual argument, which is more and more relevant these days. Text is not likely to become obsolete, but it would be helpful to supplement it.

Clarity rating: 5

Text is very accessible. There are a lot of images and graphs to help explain concepts. Most students should be able to comprehend and learn from the information.

Consistency rating: 5

This text is very consistent. Each chapter is both iterative and moves the concepts along to deeper consideration.

Modularity rating: 4

There are good divisions provided, but some of the chapters are overly long and cover a bit too much. It would certainly be simple enough to assign page numbers, rather than chapters, but the chapter on argument, for example, could really have constituted 3-4 chapters of more easily digestible text that can be broken up in different ways based on the way the class is structured.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure is very logical and clear. It moves from reading to analyzing to arguing and finally to revising in a seamless manner.

Interface rating: 5

No noted interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Grammar is great.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

This is the one area that scores low. While there is nothing overtly offensive, its use of examples are very VERY white. There is diversity in the sense of inclusion of some very gender-conscious writing, but race/ethnicity is rarely represented.

Reviewed by Patrick Lochelt, Adjunct Professor, Middlesex Community College on 6/28/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book covers a great amount of information on writing in a small amount of space. It is very comprehensive in getting through a number of different styles and techniques needed for college success as a writer, and would serve as an effective text for anyone looking to improve their writing skills in a number of ways.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content of the book appears to be accurate in regards to current standard practices of writing at the college level. I don't personally believe that all college writing must stem from or revolve around an argument, as the book seems to suggest, but argumentative writing is certainly at the core of most writing assignments, and this book accurately details different techniques to help navigate those prompts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book uses both new and tried-and-true techniques that are unlikely to become outdated or irrelevant in any college classroom any time soon. The author is able to take many well-worn types of writing assignments and styles and presents them in ways that make them fresh and interesting for students.

Clarity rating: 5

This text is clear all throughout and uses easy to follow and concise wording and instruction for students regarding topics that many can find difficult or simply uninteresting. The language used makes the topics very accessible for students of all writing backgrounds and is effective all throughout.

Consistency rating: 5

This text offers a number of different styles and ideas for becoming a better writer, and it consistently builds upon the tasks it sets for students in each chapter. The framework uses consistent infographics and imagery to help make concepts more concrete and understandable.

Modularity rating: 4

The book is organized well, moving through conceptual topics into details within each topic and offering examples and accessible specifics. Some sections could be designed a bit better to navigate through, for instance the section on fallacies of argument, which provides great information, but it reads a bit like a wall of text without visual divisions between each of the fallacies. There are a few sections of the book that could do with even some bullet points or visual elements would help with the flow and understanding of the ideas.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The fashion in which the chapters are organized is well thought out, scaffolding ideas and concepts upon each other and building towards more complex writing styles and assignments. A student who reads through this book linearly will receive a fantastic pathway and framework for becoming a much better writer.

Interface rating: 4

As noted in the "Modularity" section, some areas could use some graphic design elements to help separate ideas/topics, but overall, this text reads well and the graphics that are utilized are effective visual representations of the ideas being conveyed.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

In reading through the book, I saw no errors in the text, which is especially important considering the textbook's topic and subject.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This text appears evenhanded in its treatment of topics and diversity.

Comments

Overall, this book shines as a great modern text to help college students find their way through the trials and tribulations of writing for higher education.

Reviewed by Emily Doherty, Adjunct Faculty, Northern Essex Community College on 5/28/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Let's Get Writing! offers a comprehensive textbook for teaching introductory college writing. Instructors and students will find chapters containing the main elements in learning composition. Particularly useful is the Argument chapter which explores all aspects of writing effective and thoughtful persuasive essays. Other chapters include Critical Reading and Rhetorical Analysis which will not only be useful in a college composition course but also help students navigate the entirety of their college curriculum. There is a contents page but no index.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of this textbook is accurate and applicable for first year college students. Starting with critical reading skills, and moving through citation, punctuation, and grammar, this textbook covers all the basics. In addition, informative links, connecting students to resources, are provided throughout the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is relevant and up-to-date. The examples provided aim to be universal and can easily be revised as time goes on in order to stay current.

Clarity rating: 5

This textbook is clear, concise, and easy to read. Students will appreciate the use of bold face for key words and take aways. Shaded boxes with "Tips" will also help students navigate the text effectively.

Consistency rating: 5

The text uses consistent terminology and framework for the subject matter of critical thinking, writing, and researching.

Modularity rating: 5

The layout of the text is well-organized and easily divisible into smaller teachable sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

There are ten chapters in the text. They are presented in a logical and purposeful order. Critical reading comes first while sentence structure, punctuation, and word choice are available at the end. This makes sense as it is important to get students interested and involved in the writing process before reviewing technical aspects of composition.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is free of any noticeable issues. The text is easy to navigate and images and charts are simple and easy to discern.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text successfully represents a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Examples are sensitive and free of stereotypes.

Comments

Let's Get Writing! promotes "coherent, cohesive, credible, and correct" writing accessible to instructors and students alike. Informative and colorful charts, resourceful links, and engaging examples all add to this comprehensive textbook which makes Let's Get Writing! an excellent choice for the 21st Century student.

Reviewed by Christopher Chandler, Instructor of English and Literature, NTCC on 4/27/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Let's Get Writing is a terrific text for teaching introductory college writing. The content is comprehensive and the writing is concise. There are no unclear terms and links are provided for further reading. There is no index, but the table of contents is clearly topic based to make locating information easily.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

There are only a few external links to narratives in Chapter 5 that do not work, but an additional link of scanned text is provided for each. I appreciate the writers' anticipating that links may change and providing alternate links to the readings.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is relevant and up to date with MLA standards. The examples provided are up to date and universal.

Clarity rating: 5

Jargon is minimized in favor of exact but understandable and relatable language. I appreciate the effort that went into showing the readers, instead of just telling them, and doing so in exact, concise language. Word choice is effective.

Consistency rating: 5

Key terms are often reinforced, and the terminology is consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is presented in well-organized sections, using easily discernible standard headers and color coded text blocks. Readers should have no problem understanding the difference of topics and subtopics. Key terms and ideas are emphasized by word order in sentences, and ideas are reinforced with consistent color coded sections. As a technical writer, I find the format pleasing.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics are arranged in logical order. If I were to use the text, I might change the order of topics from beginning with argument to starting with rhetorical strategies.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is simple, yet effective. There are no instances of image distortions. Images generally represent the ideas well. Only a couple of images might be replaced in instances of unusual photoshopping.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no grammatical or mechanical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Cultural varieties are well represented in example texts. No discernible stereotypes or exclusions are noticed.

Comments

Lets Get Writing is an effective textbook for teaching introductory college writing. I especially appreciate the acknowledgement by the writers on the importance of teaching students about writing across the curriculum. The effort that was placed on grammar and mechanics is commendable. Reviewing grammar and mechanics for a beginning college student is usually needed, and this textbook provides essential basics for instructor reference and student practice. I like this textbook.

Reviewed by Stephanie Walker, Instructor, Marshall University on 3/12/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This textbook is very comprehensive and easy to navigate. It provides excellent coverage of the main elements of writing academic essays, and includes chapters on Rhetoric and well as Research. There is no evident index or glossary, which I feel is the only downfall of this text.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Not only is the content accurate, error-free, and up-to-date, but it's obvious that the authors make a great effort to be inclusive of all people and maintain an unbiased approach to the lessons and examples.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text makes it clear that it knows its audience. It discusses the different expectation that students are faced with in high school versus college, and also gives relevant examples using up-to-date mediums, such as Tweets. It also utilizes bullet points and hand-written examples, which will be easy to update over time when these examples are no longer relevant.

Clarity rating: 5

This is an easy text for the student to read. It provides context for jargon and gives numerous examples of practice. The exercises are within the chapters (not at the end), which provide additional opportunities to understand the material being presented. “Key Takeaways” at the end of each chapter help sum up the main points for the students to review.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The terminology and framework of the text is consistent for the subject matter on writing, researching, and critical thinking.

Modularity rating: 5

The layout of the text is well-organized and makes it easy to break into appropriate teaching modules. These could easily be shifted if the instructor wanted to without creating disruption for the readers.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The arrangement of the text is easy to follow. I appreciate the emphasis on rhetoric and research intertwined with the writing process. The "Writing Basics" and "Punctuation" instruction is towards the end of the book, which I think is better than presenting them at the beginning.

Interface rating: 5

No noticeable interface issues. Text is very easy to navigate and no images were distorted or confusing.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Excellent. No issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally sensitive and is successful in being inclusive to different types of learners. For example, they recognize that students may be either "readers" or "listeners," which is very inclusive of students with learning or hearing disabilities.

Comments

What I like most about this text is how clear the writing is. I think students will find this textbook easy to follow, yet challenging enough to help them grasp the rhetorical, research, and writing concepts and processes.

Reviewed by Cheryl McKearin, Lecturer, University of Illinois at Chicago on 1/8/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book covers many different writing topics at great depth. For students new to college composition classes, it's a strong primer to college writing. The rhetorical modes chapter (5) is lengthy and well done. This would be an adequate textbook to use if you would like to avoid having students pay for a textbook. I will argue, however, that some chapters and even passages might feel too long for the average composition student.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found the textbook to be accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

I think that the authors made it a point to try to be relevant - there are many memes and references to social media. Many of the cultural references, however, date back 3-10 years. For some students just starting college and reading about a pop culture reference, they would have been 8 years old at the height of its popularity. I think some of those examples and references would have to be updated every few years.

Clarity rating: 5

I really liked how the book breaks down rhetoric - it's a great intro for students who are new to rhetoric. I would consider using that chapter to teach my students.

Consistency rating: 4

The book has several authors, so sometimes the depth, the tone, and the examples vary widely across chapters. I felt it took away from the book's cohesiveness, but I don't think students would realize it.

Modularity rating: 4

The text can definitely be divided into smaller reading sections. I did, however, find that the text tended to refer to itself many times throughout the book - I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I really liked how the book was organized. Well done.

Interface rating: 1

I downloaded the PDF so that I could view the book offline - this creates significant distortion of images, charts, basically all visual aids. All images force a new page to start, so there are many pages that are ¼ to ¾ blank. There are many broken links; some links refer to newspaper articles that need a paid subscription. These definitely should be addressed. Students will most likely want to use the online version.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found the text to be generally error-free grammatically.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text is not culturally insensitive, but I didn't think it made a significant effort to be inclusive.

Comments

I think the textbook itself is valuable - I was not a fan of all the links to other open sources that have been already removed. I think that detracts from the actual text - perhaps that would be more valuable in a teacher's resource or separate appendix for the instructor. I would recommend using parts of it (chapters and activities) to supplement other readings in your class.

Reviewed by Amanda O'Sullivan, Adjunct Faculty, Community College of Denver on 12/9/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The content of the text is very applicable to first-semester college students, especially students in need of more guidance. Chapter 1: Critical Reading sets the stage for the text, as it shows students how to approach a text before they start writing about it, which is a skill many first-semester students are lacking. In addition to providing practical strategies, the chapter also shows students what to expect in composition course, highlighting the differences between college-level writing and high school writing. The transparency on college instructors’ expectations can help students more easily transition into the course, and can ultimately help with student success. The section on Critical Reading also does a great job outlining the different types of writing that students may encounter in other college courses, and shows how composition courses help students transfer gained knowledge beyond the realm of academia.
After the first chapter, the text becomes more focused on writing in particular genres. The text is centered around the idea that all writing is an argument, and therefore, it focuses heavily on defining rhetoric, examining the rhetorical situation, and creating academic arguments. As with the Critical Reading chapter, Chapter 2: Rhetorical Analysis and Chapter 3: Argument do a great job explaining the WHY to students. These sections show students the value and impact writing of writing and the consequences of not using rhetoric effectively.The chapters on rhetoric and argument provide excellent explanations, pertinent key terms, practical examples, and engaging activities.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The examples and activities are current and mostly relevant to younger students; for example, one activity asks students to examine and critique tweets posted on social media. Providing activities that are familiar and relevant to students make the material more approachable and comprehensible. In addition to providing examples from outlets the students are likely to engage with, the text also acknowledges that students will primarily researching online, and thus, Chapters 6: Finding and Using Outside Sources and Chapter 7: How and Why to Cite provide useful information on understanding plagiarism, evaluating credibility, and working with sources. While the text as a whole is relevant to a generation that heavily relies on the internet, it could provide more examples and references that are more culturally diverse.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is well written and easy to understand.

Consistency rating: 4

While the first three chapters are consistent and valuable, Chapter 4: The Writing Process and Chapter 5: Rhetorical Modes are very basic and underwhelming; however, these sections may be a useful base for instructors who want to develop more unique assignments.

Modularity rating: 4

Rather than collaborating on each chapter, the authors were responsible for writing different chapters. Because of this there is a slight difference in style and tone, and some chapters are stronger than others.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The first three chapters are organized appropriately. However, I do question the placement of Chapter 4: The Writing Process. It seems like Chapter 4 should be swapped with Chapter 5.

Interface rating: 4

The text is mostly intuitive and easy to follow.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is well written.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text is not culturally insensitive; however, more examples could be used that are inclusive to different races, ethnicity, and backgrounds.

Comments

Overall, I found the text to be relevant, useful, clearly written, and void of error.

Reviewed by Travis McDonald, Adjunct Instructor , Colorado State Board of Higher Education on 11/29/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

I thought the textbook was very comprehensive in terms of dealing with all of the pertinent aspects of composition including critical reading, rhetorical analysis, citation, punctuation and much more. It covers all of the basics of the main topics of my freshman writing course.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Accuracy was good, for the most part. I particularly appreciated the accuracy of the Punctuation section, which was helpful.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It was obvious that the writers wanted this text to feel contemporary. They included examples from social media as well as classic literature which I found to be a very smart move.

Clarity rating: 3

At times, some of the concepts could have been maybe a little easier to comprehend, but mostly I thought it was well-done and accesible.

Consistency rating: 4

I found the consistency to be consistent and terms were explained and used throughout the text.

Modularity rating: 3

Some sections were a little long, but mostly I thought it could be broken up into easily digestible sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I thought the book was clear in its major sections and the information included in the major sections were broken up into sub-sections which was helpful.

Interface rating: 5

I did not notice any interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice many, if any, grammatical mistakes.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I did not think there was anything offensive about the content, though maybe they could have done a slightly better job of speaking to more races and backgrounds.

Comments

Overall, a successful textbook that I would be happy to implement into the first-year composition classroom. Many of the subjects discussed are ones that I have on a regular basis with my students, and I think the authors did a good job of explaining these concepts in a clear and mostly engaging way.

Reviewed by Neecee Matthews-Bradshaw, CCD Writing Zone Coordinator, Colorado State Board of Higher Education on 11/29/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Let’s Get Writing offers a great overview of material for the first-year writing student. Many introductory texts for academic writing struggle to cover the breadth and depth of possible scenarios instructors want to present to their classes. This text, however, successfully addresses a wide range of writing contexts for students, grounded in a sense of purposefulness that touches on both academic and workplace scenarios.
While the text is searchable, and the table of contents links to each chapter, readers may find it difficult to navigate beyond the layout of the text. There are no subcategories in the TOC, and the index is present but not populated. The lack of indexed categories (or glossary) might also present new users with some difficulty in searching terms beyond using find functions (like CTRL-F). At the same time, there are numerous links within each of the chapters, connecting students to resources like heuristics for critical reading, online samples of genres, and more.

Finally, the PDF version of the text demonstrates some inconsistent spacing between text and figures; in some instances, there are large gaps between the reference to an image and the image itself.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Let’s Get Writing offers accurate content, providing students with a variety of examples of rhetorical elements from modes, to appeals, to an up-to-date listing of logical fallacies. Whether instructors choose to emphasize modes of writing or contexts for rhetoric in the workplace, the authors have done a fine job of providing options for students and teachers alike to delve into what writing looks like in a number of different scenarios. Readers can find one great example in the attention the authors pay to a fourth rhetorical element, one sometimes left out of the composition equation, kairos; however, it would be nice to see a brief discussion on the choice to capitalize kairos while leave the other rhetorical appeals lower-cased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Let’s Get Writing offers relevant, contemporary content, providing students with a variety of examples of rhetorical elements from modes, to appeals, to an up-to-date listing of logical fallacies. Whether instructors choose to emphasize modes of writing, contexts for rhetoric in the workplace, or a glance at the influence of rhetoric in social media, the authors have done a fine job of providing options for student to explore writing across a number of boundaries.

Clarity rating: 5

The text uses a voice to which students will easily relate. It will not leave students frustrated with both their writing assignments and the tools they might use to complete those assignments. For example, when sections of the text cross-reference with other sections that are yet to come or have been reviewed already, the authors provide links to those parts of the text, allowing students to navigate to those related subjects. Another great addition here is that the authors provide one of the clearest discussions of both the Rogerian and Toulmin arguments readers will find in composition textbooks.

Consistency rating: 5

The text uses a balance in tone and exploration that is consistent throughout. The attention the authors give to each category of the text will help students successfully navigate the terrain of academic writing. Further, the layout for each chapter presents the elements of the text in a way that readers will come to recognize quickly. The text introduces major categories up front, with each section separated into a set of explanations, scenarios, applications, and key terms to follow.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter of the text lends itself to a clearly outlined unit of learning in the average composition class. The text seems to integrate into many instructors’ approaches to teaching first-year composition. Within each chapter, the authors address a clearly defined element of writing and then offer ways to practice what the chapter introduces. Furthermore, the clear setup for each chapter makes it easy to move around the text in a more personalized way. Diagrams, writing tips, concise writing, and clearly sub-headed sections provide readers with realistic, user-friendly ways to digest the subjects the text addresses.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text will easily follow the basic order of the first-year writing course. There is a logical progression of topics, from the basics of critical reading and rhetorical elements, to the process of writing, researching, and polishing one’s writing. Instructors and students both should be able to integrate the text into the work they find themselves doing in the first-year composition classroom.

Interface rating: 4

The online interface and downloadable PDF versions of this text are clear and easy to navigate when moving from chapter to chapter. Navigating within the chapters is a little more complicated in that one cannot navigate to subsections of the text easily without using the bookmarking features of one’s reading platform (a browser or PDF reader, for example).

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Let’s Get Writing presents its content in clear, concise language that students will find easy to read. It provides well-crafted explanations of material that most students will already find new and unfamiliar. Minor issues in capitalization of the “Tip” sections are present only in the PDF version of the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This text is culturally relevant in that provides no offensive scenarios that can isolate students from a variety of backgrounds. The authors present a text that diverse students will find both useful and approachable.

Reviewed by Candice Marshall, English Language Learning Instructor, Earlham College on 11/25/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book attempts to cover a lot of subjects related to writing, and does so in a sense. However, since degree of comprehensiveness is subjective, it is up to the reader to decide. For my purposes, this book was comprehensive in areas I did not need it to be, and cursory in areas where I thought more detail was needed. More about the actual writing process would have been helpful.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

While all of the content is relevant to writing, from the title one would expect a more interactive type of text geared towards actually getting students immersed in the act of writing. It doesn't live up to this expectation. While there are exercises, they occupy a small portion of the text. Some of the content is similar to what I would use, but other parts (the ones I consider most vital) differ significantly from the expectations I have for my students' writing, such that I would not use them (i.e. thesis statements).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content is somewhat up to date, for a rhetoric text. They haven't quite gone over to the genre-analysis camp yet, for which I am grateful, but their description of rhetorical modes and how to actually write an essay leave something to be desired. They only briefly touch on specific citation styles, but these are the areas where change is most often going to occur and require revision. In this sense, they won't be outdated too quickly since they don't go into specific detail.

Clarity rating: 3

This book is somewhat verbose and jargon heavy. While they do provide sections with key vocabulary for each chapter, some chapters are extremely, and somewhat unnecessarily, dense.

Consistency rating: 5

For the most part, the book seems consistent in their phrasing and language used to describe concepts. There are links connecting ideas between chapters.

Modularity rating: 3

There are headings and subheadings for sections which can be assigned separately, but I feel as though some of the chapters should have been divided into multiple chapters. They tried to do too much at once, especially in chapter 3.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

I understand the choice to start the text with the reading chapter, but waiting until chapter 4 to actually discuss the writing process was a poor choice.

Interface rating: 3

PDF version: I was not fond of the size of some of the images that cause huge gaps in spacing between paragraphs. The shifting sizes of highlighted boxes that didn't align with each other was also rather messy looking and hard to navigate in the PDF form.
ONLINE version: This format was cleaner and had less spacing issues. The disconnect between the font types and sizes used in the charts, figures, and images was rather inconsistent and looked a bit sloppy at times.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There didn't appear to be any glaring issues with grammar that I detected, although on closer examination these might become apparent. There were some inconsistencies with bolding text in words though (in some cases only part of the word was bolded).

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Some of the memes used for logical fallacies, while they are there for a reason, may be considered culturally insensitive for some populations. The text only really acknowledges an American lens of writing, culture, and values.

Comments

This text might be suitable for a homogenous, American English composition type of class, but some of the American cultural references would not make sense to writers with other cultural backgrounds. Also, more emphasis on the actual writing process would be helpful.

Reviewed by Patrick Gilligan, Associate Professor, Aims Community College on 7/31/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

While this textbook addresses all the main areas and ideas surrounding an entry-level composition course, I find the different sections to be uneven. For example, Chapter One: Critical Reading, contains a lengthy section on annotation, yet only brief nods to “Why do You Read Critically”? Also, perhaps in a book entitled Let’s get Writing, we should do just that. The Writing Process doesn’t begin until chapter four? There are a number of useful links and practice possibilities, but none were necessarily very novel.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

Content is relatively accurate and error free. The problem here is not the accuracy of the information, but rather the delivery. There’s an attempt to cover absolutely everything and, as a result, most of the content is cursory and limited. Difficult concepts are often ignored or explained in a glancing way, such as rules regarding comma usage, whereas alternatively there is an entire section on subject and verb identification.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Content is, again, relatively up to date. Sections like those on Greek rhetorical terms get bogged down with somewhat arcane definitions. ‘Kairotic appeals’ might be a bit much at this stage if we are still concerned with understanding simpler concepts. I am not entirely sure how efficiently this text could seamlessly incorporate relevant updates. The text appears to have one foot in the past, and one in the present, but not an eye toward the future.

Clarity rating: 3

Sometimes, it seems as though the authors are writing for students and sometimes for other educators. Some simple terms and concepts are explained (e.g. text, what is a statement?) while other more complex ideas are left mysteriously wanting. A focused approach regarding audience and main objectives might be more effective.

Consistency rating: 3

The text is internally consistent, however, the manner in which subjects are discussed is not always very visually appealing or easily accessible. Long lists of bullet points or otherwise choppy sections are somewhat distracting from the main ideas.

Modularity rating: 2

The text contains numerous smaller divisions within each major sub heading but are often counterintuitive or confusing. Finding and Using Outside Sources has a whole section dedicated to topic selection.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

The authors clearly made intentional choices regarding organizational structure, including the introduction of some rudimentary grammar and writing skills. I do not believe, however, that it very effective in its layout and flow for all the previously mentioned reasons. All the parts are there, but it is somewhat like Frankenstein's monster.

Interface rating: 4

All charts appear accurate if somewhat rudimentary and not altogether entirely accessible. They often seem to be rather large and not particularly informative. I experienced no interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

To my eyes, the text is fairly wholly free of grammatical errors. This is largely due to relatively simple sentence construction, which may be more universally understandable, but occasionally falls prey to over simplification.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text is not overtly insensitive or offensive, nor is it particularly inclusive. There’s been an effort made to have generic examples, but that is about it.

Comments

Overall, a lack of focus, general organization and presentation issues, and uneven delivery, plague this very well intentioned, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt of a basic composition textbook. There are numerous other texts, including OTL and OER resources, which tackle this task far more effectively.

Reviewed by Roberto Forns-Broggi, Professor of Spanish, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 7/17/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book attempts to cover basically key rhetorical aspects of writing and basic tools as a start point. Each chapter covers a key component in a way that includes basic notions, tips, key takeaways, exercises, assignments, and useful external links to videos and/or readings that expand and motivates writing. Because of this rhetorical focus, instead of using exclusively literature or films references—something that it is common and useful for composition classes—it encourages to build on solid argument, logical assemblage, linguistic clarity with a variety of external links and types of texts. This articulated goal of academic writing is ideal for developing writing skills that are necessary to think. Previous to the study of a particular discipline such as literary studies, the basic themes of the book stimulate the reading habit embodied in a deep desire to go beyond the surface. It is an effective way to build an indivisible and dynamic practice of reading/writing.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Even though the definitions and examples are short, in general the whole book presents a solid coherence around the idea of writing as a way of thinking through contexts and purpose. I appreciate the directness of the whole craft approach. You might miss an artistic perspective in the scope of the chapters in the sense of working with non-instrumentalised lines of thinking that disrupt prevailing norms (if you look for an inclusive creative writing activities). The stress of the collection of chapters goes to a learning process of reading and writing to persuade, to think in order to explain, to learn how to do research to expand and consolidate in the academic life of the college student.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Every chapter is open to incorporate new subjects to illustrate or deepen the involved writing aspects. Most exercises and assignments focus on the writing process, and they are practical and basic. Don’t expect notorious inspirational elements that lie outside the realm of technique and strategy, which is something that I miss throughout this book because I’ve been teaching a Spanish creative writing class for some years now. Since reading is an important component of a writing course, reading for wonder would complement the important driving force of critical thinking skills. Nevertheless I appreciate the way each chapter is organized, because its practicality invites me to consider its use in my Spanish creative writing class. Its concise structure may last many years to come.

Clarity rating: 4

All the chapters are concise and in a very ordered disposition. Instead of long paragraphs, the general tone is articulated in short sentences. I like that aspect because it gives the instructor more freedom to accommodate and adapt the exercises and assignments to student’s actual level.

Consistency rating: 4

I like the heading, organization, and presentation of each chapter. Always to the point. Because the chapters are written by different authors, you might expect some discrepancies or bigger differences. But each chapter has its own merit and gifts, plus it is always explicitly connected to other chapters of the book with concrete links and suggestions. At the beginning the authors clarify the premise of the whole book: the guiding features are foundations of a discipline, at the same time the driving force of learning to study through writing and reading in any college career. So you can check the core premises of “Let’s Get Writing” in few words: “Every good piece of writing is an argument; every worth reading and writing begins with a specific question; improving skills takes practice, feedback, and re-thinking, redoing, revising.”

Modularity rating: 5

I like the way the explanations, exercises and assignments are out lined through interesting key areas of studying: rhetorical approach (Chap. 1 Critical Reading; , Chap. 2 Rhetorical Analysis; Chap. 3 Argument; Chap. 4 The Writing Process; Chap. 5 Rhetorical Modes), research skills (Chap. 6 Finding and Using Outside Sources; chap. 7 How and Why to Cite), and pragmatic language basics (Chap. 8 Writing Basics: What makes a good sentence?; Chap. 9 Punctuation; Chap. 10 working with words: which word is right? Word choice and Vocabulary-building strategies). The proposed work for students is not overwhelmingly extensive or difficult, to the contrary, I would say that the instructor may take as an advantage to substitute or add additional homework.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The way each chapter is design seems very simple, but that could be apparent, because you should keep in mind that the whole book keeps its coherence very well. There are very basic skills in play that are also weave to a complex design that is not so evident. In that sense, the structure of each chapter allows the reader to get advantage of a non-linear approach that encourages an associative way of thinking, which makes reading and writing more dynamic and alive.

Interface rating: 5

Each part is designed to directly practice the main notions of the subject. It carefully uses exercises and links that allow the student to absorb and develop a potential fruitful dialogue between the student and the matter to study. It allows a smooth navigation through its entire length.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not locate a single grammatical error. This text looks very professional.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

You might find this book in the formalist tradition that establish craft principles based on a disciplinary anxiety use, as you can see clearly and provocatively explained by Janelle Adsit in her book Toward an Inclusive Creative Writing : Threshold Concepts to Guide the Literary Writing Curriculum (Bloomsbury, 2017). But as a teacher of writing, we need to balance this formalist approach with contextualized and inspirational subjects—I would say, it depends on how you expand the key matter of purpose. If you belief that writing is more than a necessary communication skill, more than skillful management of grammar, spelling, and punctuation, probably you need more advanced materials to use in your class. But a shocking reality will be out of your hands and in front of your eyes: the unreadable page, the skipped participation, the unwanted task of writing for your class. For me this book incites me to think in more innovative ways to address the blind spots that we all have in our respective bubbles without silencing student voices. To the contrary, this book makes me to encourage our students to keep going in their academic route with the wonderful and powerful tool of reading and writing.

Comments

I like to use this book in my Spanish creative class, but adapting it in a context of profound diverse cultural context. “Let’s Get Writing” gave me more useful ideas to apply in the design of the writing component in my other Spanish classes as well. It can be also useful to complement what you want to develop in your class, because it is very basic. We are missing in our classes the basic tools for creating a space of learning, of personal growth, and of healing. So this open textbook might be in your sight. But I am not sure if I will use it in its entire length because I am interested to develop a sense of discovering the other (to bring up a wide variety of texts that are not included in the book) and to challenge my students in front of diverse contingencies that register cross-cultural awareness and creative zeal. Even though you might find bigger limitations, I like this simplicity and focus of each chapter. You might use it for one of your sub-graduate classes as well.