Bad Ideas About Writing

Reviewed by Dr. Lauren Seward, College Freshmen Composition Teacher, Tidewater Community College on 12/5/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text covers a wide range of details and information pertaining to writing. It offers a breakdown if all areas of writing. It gives the reader the opportunity to consider varying levels and opinions of effectiveness when it comes to writing in the classroom.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

While the content may create interesting conversations in the classroom, the information presented will not suit all writing opinions and views.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The book is quite relevant to the world of writing. However, it may not be of interest to those who do not enjoy the "highs and lows" of writing as it pertains to the classroom.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is clear. The examples highlight and support/negate various ideas about writing.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is consistent with basic and standard writing procedures.

Modularity rating: 5

The text can easily be aligned to various units in a writing course. It is easy to breakdown for understanding.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

All information and topics are presented in an organized chapter or section. There are various essays attached to each topic that assist in understanding.

Interface rating: 5

Text is an easy-to-download PDF.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors discovered in the book.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book is culturally relevant to those with a stake in writing--specifically those with ideas and opinions on writing techniques, old and new.

I think that the book will hold the interest of an invested college writing professor. The concepts, theories, and ideas mentioned will create some interesting dialogue in the classroom. However, be considerate of student interest, While they may read for completion, it may not captivate them as much as intended, unless they too are invested in Bad Ideas About Writing.

Reviewed by Lora Winters, Assistant Instructional Professor, Pittsburg State University on 12/22/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book covers a variety of different bad ideas about writing and writing instruction. The included essays cover topics including technology in writing, grammar, methods of teaching writing, what good writing is, and who good writers are. Multiple sides of topic are discussed in different essays.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content covered many different perspectives in the field of writing and writing instruction. The content was supported by research, and further readings after each essay were provided.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This book is highly relevant to writing teachers, but it isn’t necessarily relevant as a writing textbook for FYC. This book would probably be most useful for beginning writing teachers, graduate teaching assistants teaching composition, and writing center consultants/tutors.

Clarity rating: 5

Writing is very clear and easy to understand. Each essay is short enough to be read in one sitting and could be easily understood by undergraduates.

Consistency rating: 5

Each essay includes further readings and keywords. The writing is consistently clear, and counterarguments are consistently provided. Some essays seem like they could be a little more supported, but even the least supported essay is well-written.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is broken down into sections, and within each section the information about a given topic is grouped together. It would be very easy to find relevant essays to use in a classroom setting.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book was well organized, with clear headings for each section. Each section had essays organized in a way that easily flowed from one concept to the next.

Interface rating: 5

The PDF was easy to navigate, and the keywords included made it easier to search through.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book covers topics that are culturally relevant to the field of writing studies. The authors of the essays are relevant figures in the composition/writing center/writing studies fields.

This book explains ideas that are relevant to the field of writing studies in a creative and interesting way. It helps fill in knowledge gaps for those who are writing teachers but may not have formal training in teaching writing. The essays are short and easy to grasp. Some ideas may not age well (some of the information about digital media seems like it could get outdated really quickly). I plan to use readings from it to help train my writing center consultants, but I don’t think I will be able to use much from it in my FYC classes.

Reviewed by Kristen Fink, Instructor, Portland Community College on 9/9/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book covers a range of tropes about what "good" writing is, how it should be taught, who teaches it, and who excels at it.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Accuracy is tricky to quantify here as the point of the book is to challenge long-held notions of what writing should look like and feel like. Each short essay is supported with references to research and suggestions for further readings, so readers can engage in the accuracy of the claims made themselves. Entering the debate seems much more the point than being correct.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Inventorying the "why" and "for what reason?" behind so many engrained assumptions about how we should teach FYC seems always relevant, and, indeed, this collection references previously "settled" notions of what good writing instruction and good writing is, what has stuck over the centuries, and what the role of the FYC classroom is in an age of digital literacies and modern rhetoric.

Clarity rating: 5

Clarity and distillation of a singular concept or bad idea is completed very effectively with room for readers to engage more fully with each topic as their own interest dictates.

Consistency rating: 5

Each essay in the book is between 3 to 6 pages long, written in straightforward prose meant to be accessible to students, academics, or anyone interested in being part of the larger conversation. After the discussion, a further reading section is included along with keywords and information on the author including a brief bio and typically a Twitter handle.

Modularity rating: 5

What I most appreciate about this collection is how the editors have laid out these points in smaller bite-sized pieces. In my own FYC instruction, I try to push transfer and metacognition via interrogation of the very purpose of the composition classroom. This collection allows students several entrance points into this discussion.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization is logical and works the reader through a range of potential tropes/practices in which the reader might very well participate. I suppose what the book is missing is the sequel: Good Ideas about Writing.

Interface rating: 5

The text is very straightforward: a collection of short essays arranged in sub-themes centered on various bad ideas about writing. The Table of Contents provides a clear map for the book as a whole.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

What is grammar? (Okay, it is actually defined within the book, but clear prose throughout.)

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I have mixed feelings here. The book does contain sections on combatting notions of Standard American English as "good" (as in the only acceptable) writing, and FYC as favoring white, middle class student constituencies. But. . . as I reflect, I feel the writing is centered on student/teacher experience centered on fixing previous bad practice from a more theoretical rather than experiential perspective. This leads me to believe that the majority of the authors either (1) were white, middle class students themselves or (2) did not feel empowered to speak from their own diverse experiences as teachers/students.

I deeply appreciate this collection and the invitation to continue the discussions raised with colleagues, with students, and via social media. As an extremely accessible entry point into larger discussions of the practice and purpose of FYC, this collection does important work for future instructors and their students.

Reviewed by John (Tom) Williams, associate professor, Tidewater Community College on 7/24/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Essays cover a wide and varied range of ideas about writing and the teaching of writing. These include essays about what good writing, good writers, grammar and style, assessment, technology, even writing teachers themselves. Content takes a pro/con view in that essays offer contrasting positions on the same topic.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

While readers may not agree with all the views expressed in the book (nor should they), there is much to be gained by considering the opposing sides offered. There is a good deal of validity to the authors' opinions regardless of which side you readers find themselves on in terms of their own classroom practices.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

This book is possibly more interesting than it is relevant. As an examination of many of the ideas that many of us have about writing and teaching writing, Bad Ideas About Writing is well worth reading. As a preparatory text for those who want to teach writing, this would be a fine resource. For Freshman Composition, its practicality lags behind as the teachers will find it far more appealing than students.

Clarity rating: 5

Content is well written and supported by countless examples and observations from the essay authors.

Consistency rating: 5

Content is fair and balanced in the sense that what's best practice for one person is tired and played out for another. Topics covered all include multiple facets of the same idea.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter has a specific theme and numerous essays that tackle various concepts within that theme. Individual readings are easy to separate out and pair up.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Each chapter focuses on one main concept and includes a number of essays that delve into various aspects of that concept.

Interface rating: 5

The text is a straightforward PDF.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Text is free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book is relevant in the sense that practically everyone writes and has ideas about writing, and those ideas are well worth examining and questioning.

Bad Ideas About Writing makes for interesting reading. People with a stake in the teaching of writing can take away some valuable insights. Creative writers as well can benefit from the exposure of harmful cliches surrounding the writing life. Where the book falls short is working as an introductory writing text which, admittedly, it does not seem to be intended for.

Reviewed by Christina Davidson, Adjunct Faculty, Indiana University - Southeast (New Albany) on 4/30/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book, Bad Ideas About Writing, takes on a wide range of issues within the field of Composition. A quick look at the table of contents reveals this book will approach issues from style and grammar to writing assessment, and even foray into multimodal or digital writing. Just as the cheeky title implies, each chapter flips contemporary issues on their heads, showing the 'bad idea' that lies beneath some oft well-meaning pedogogical practices. While it may not cover all issues in composition, which is certainly a wide field, it does take a bold effort in that direstion. And it should be noted that while undergraduate students could certainly grasp the gist of each chapter with some instructor guidance, the nuance of this book is likely more aimed at graduate student readers or teacher-learners.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of this book is accurate and error-free. While some bias is to be expected in a book filled with opinions, we can trust the judgement of these authors to be sound, given their respective positions in their field. The approach of each section feels balanced, offering honest commentary from experienced professionals.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book has great relevance because it serves as a catalyst for tough conversations about why these 'bad ideas about writing' even exist in the first place. It prods the reader to critically analyze their own pedagogical practices and to inspect ways that institutions support the continuation of 'bad ideas'.

Clarity rating: 5

This book offers highly accessible content. Although perhaps geared more towards current educators or those pursuing a career in Education, it still possesses enough clarity to make it accessible to any student learning about writing.

Consistency rating: 5

The structure, which outlines different areas in Composition Studies where we encounter 'bad ideas', is consistent and easy to follow. The terminology used by a variety of authors is also consistent and aligned with the overall goals of the book.

Modularity rating: 5

This text is easily divisible due to the way it is organized. For example, graduate students could be asked to read the entirety of this text to inform a final project, while a single chapter could be assigned for a group discussion.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

While the scope of this project is quite large, the editors made great use of chapters to organize the ideas.

Interface rating: 5

This highly accessible, open-course textbook is free of any interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors in this text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Essays in this book are written from a diverse group of writers. BIAW takes great care to highlight cultural issues in Composition, such as the need for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, the book itself seeks to support critical pedagogical practices by examining how we can remedy these 'bad ideas' that persist in our field.

This text is a gem within the Open Textbook Library. Students will be well-served to digest this small volume and to chew on how they can remedy the 'bad ideas' still floating about in academia, and in their own minds.

Reviewed by George Zamzow, English Instructor, Portland Community College on 1/1/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

It's hard to say that a book on writing is comprehensive. This book covers many of the most important bad ideas about writing. I was impressed with its range and coverage of the bad ideas I see more frequently.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Any book on rhetoric is bound to be biased. This one is biased in the right ways, and one of the brilliant things about it is that it points out longstanding biases in the field of rhetoric that are detrimental to learning, and that perpetuate oppression that operates through bad ideas about language

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Very relevant, and not likely to go out of date soon

Clarity rating: 2

This is where I was the most disappointed in the book for use in my own classes. While the prose is usually lucid and precise, many of the texts here may not be accessible to students who have less familiarity with academic language. It was particularly frustrating to read texts written in advanced, jargon-heavy language, lamenting the ways that white, upper class English perpetuates oppression.

Consistency rating: 4

There was some variation, but I dont regard this as such a bad thing because the text is so modular, and I think most instructors will assign it as discrete essays.

Modularity rating: 5

Great for use as individual essays! Occasionally refers to other essays, but these references dont obscure overall meaning.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I found the sections to be useful, and the sections and individual chapters are ordered logically

Interface rating: 5

Pdf version is excellent

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No "grammatical errors" that I saw. It was also wonderful how essays challenged the concept of "grammatical errors"

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found it inclusive. It makes important challenges to bad ideas about writing that perpetuate oppression for people from marginalized groups.

Incredibly valuable range of ideas here, some practical, some theoretical. Brilliantly done! I may (or I may ask students to) revise some of the essays to have more accessible prose as derivative OER.

Reviewed by Beatrice Mendez Newman, Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 11/15/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I selected this book for a teacher-prep course focused on composition pedagogy. Just about every instance of teacher-created writing frustration that these upper division English majors have ever encountered in their writing career is addressed in this book. The “bad ideas” approach gave my soon-to-be ELA teachers a platform for identifying their good ideas about writing. Additionally, they felt validated about their frustration in previously being criticized about writing “flaws” that in fact are not flaws. The book pulls together some “big names” (Muriel Harris, Scott Warnock, Beth Hewett) as well as a nice assortment of names recognizable from a variety of professional journals and some obvious newcomers. A particularly helpful feature, especially for prospective ELA teachers, is the “Further Reading” section that ends each article. This section includes fundamental resources that inform the pivot from the “bad idea” that triggers each article to the good ideas that should show up in our pedagogy and that can support our confidence as writers. There is no index and no glossary. Given how well-presented key terms are within each artlcle, the lack of a glossary is not a problem. And the author bios are provided right at the end of the article they wrote rather than the end of the book.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The approach—identifying a bad idea, debunking it, and presenting a solid writing practice to replace it—shows realistic attention to issues that truly matter to student writers, to obstacles they may have faced in their writing journeys. I think most professors and most students would agree that the scope of the bad ideas correctly depicts things that can go wrong in writing pedagogy but that can be remedied through application of good instruction.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The topics have predictable longevity because the same bad practices persistent in ELA classrooms from generation to generation of writers. The book addresses misconceptions and misteachings about grammar, creative writing, research, grading, the five-paragraph essay, the usefulness of technology—all topics that we ourselves contended with when we were students and that current students still face. Happily, the book also includes a section on online writing instruction. This OWI section might need updating soon but it does address basic issues in teaching and learning writing online.

Clarity rating: 5

A lot of composition and pedagogy “jargon” is integrated but all effectively contextualized and well-explained. That was a key decision point in my selection of this text for my teacher candidates. The terms and concepts in the book are reflected in the teacher certification exams that the teachers will be taking as part of their credentialing process regardless of the type of licensure exam that is required by their state.

Consistency rating: 5

The articles in the book follow a delightful “formula”: the bad idea is presented, usually in a disingenuous tone somewhat mimicking the way the bad idea is presented as gospel truth in classrooms; then there is a debunking of the bad idea, usually based on the author’s lived experience or on actual classroom stories featuring the author’s students; finally there is a section juxtaposing the good idea that represents best practices. The Further Reading section is a valuable research resource for students who may be interested in bolstering their rhet/comp credentials as they get ready to teach or for graduate school.

Modularity rating: 5

The sections of the book allow for reorganization based on the professor’s approach to the course. The sections are not linear or consecutive; you can literally skip around for what seems best for your course and/or your students. And there are abundant articles in each section which allows for selectivity in matching readings to course objectives.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The major sections zoom into the broad topics that are creatively subdivided into a variety of specific bad ideas. When I first reviewed this book as a possibility for my upper division class of prospective teachers, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could not say, “Hmmm, this would be a better text if x topic had been included.” It seems quite liberal in coverage of and presentation of topics that guide students toward appreciating truly good ideas about writing.

Interface rating: 5

The option for downloading the entire book as a PDF enhances its usability as a learning tool. Students can highlight, add notes, use the search feature, and all-in-all use the book as they do a print book.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No problems with grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Most students, regardless of their cultural or ethnic background, will see themselves reflected in the approaches presented in the articles. I can see someone raising the lack of specific attention to translanguaging as a possible gap or cultural insensitivity; however, I can attest that in my classes of almost 100% Hispanic students many of whom are second language speakers of English, no one felt slighted and all found meaningful connectivity in the topics presented as bad ideas. Additionally, because so many of the authors in the text have established credentials as contributors to discussions of writing pedagogy, we know that their work represents egalitarian views about cultural inclusivity.

One of the major benefits of using this book is the way that it makes students almost hyper aware of best practices in teaching writing. They ended the course feeling empowered about what they would do in their own classrooms with their own young writers and what they would avoid. As the course project, each of my students created a chapter that they would add to the book, focused on a bad idea that they had encountered and offering their own writing experiences as evidence for debunking that idea. Finally, this a “fun” book to work with. The students almost joyfully responded to their initial reading assignments as they realized that things they had been told were wrong in their writing are in fact not wrong at all.

Reviewed by Colin Charlton, Professor & Chair, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 10/28/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

BIAW takes on a pretty daunting project: in one volume, collect and debunk misconceptions about good writing, writing students, style, techniques, genres, assessment, technology, and writing teachers. The editors and contributors pull it off with concise and rich explorations of the "literacy crisis" phenomenon (Babb), the assumption that gamification equals fun (Daniel-Wariya), or erroneous high school prophecy that you'll need ________ in college (Hollinger). With eight sections and sixty-two bad ideas, the quality of the collection is consistent and engaging. BIAW is an excellent supplement to a first year writing studies class dealing with problematic misconceptions or a graduate practicum for writing teachers in secondary and post-secondary classrooms. It's also helpful historical index of the stories that we inherit and an engaging call to reframe the public circulation of ideas about what writing is, how learning happens, and who we are as writing teachers and students.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

With a host of experts in writing, the collection as a whole takes balanced view and contextualizes each of the bad ideas in terms of origin, longevity, and consequences.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Though most writing teachers wish BIAW was irrelevant, an engaging critique of the many bad ideas that inform our discussions of writing is likely to always be relevant and needed for students and teachers.

Clarity rating: 5

Thought the volume contains many voices and many topics, and the necessary historical references to provide detailed histories and analyses, the editors and the authors succeeded in creating a clear and readable collection.

Consistency rating: 5

One of the highlights of the BIAW for me is that it sports so many different voices with a consistency in quality and careful exploration of the bad ideas that pre-frame our writing classes.

Modularity rating: 5

As I say later in my organization comments, the sections and the arrangement of sections movies from concepts of writing (and writing students) through writing in difference contexts with different tools and lands on the writing teacher as a subject of study. The movement adds to the books clarity and historical unfolding.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The arrangement of the sections in BIAW moves meaningfully from bad ideas about good writing and good writers to bad ideas about writing teachers, beginning with the process(es) under investigation and ending with the people charged with understanding and teaching those processes.

Interface rating: 5

I had no problems with BIAW's interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not note any grammatical errors, or at least none jumped out that prevented my understanding of the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

BIAW hosts a range of teacher-scholars with an impressive diversity of backgrounds. With a built-in understanding of diverse language practices, the multifaceted image of writing that emerges offers a range cultural examples and calls for conceptions of writing that are more inclusive than our myths and misconceptions suggest.

Reviewed by Jennifer Burke Grehan, Adjunct Professor, ESL and ENG, Bunker Hill Community College on 6/29/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is easy to follow, offers great directions, and moderate vocabulary.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The authors of this text are experts in their field

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is timeless and can be used for decades in writing courses.

Clarity rating: 5

The authors took great care to reach students and teachers alike. This text is clear, helpful, and will be of great use in the classroom.

Consistency rating: 5

This text was designed to touch on so many topics involved in teaching writing. However, it can also be used to teach students to practice metacognition.

Modularity rating: 5

This text can be used for in class writing, citation work, and in research.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is organized in a clear, logical fashion.

Interface rating: 5

The text is user friendly!

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This text does not include any cultural bias.

This is a text that I will incorporate into my classes as well as my own future research.

Reviewed by Nancy Mades-Byrd, adjunct, North Shore Community College on 6/24/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is exactly the type of book I've been waiting for! After nearly two decades of teaching writing, finally a book acknowledges what we call know: people make mistakes when they write and that's okay. I also appreciate that the text comprehensively unpacks why we need to rethink the way we teach writing and includes all voices - students, writers, teachers. It is unafraid to take on the sacred cows of rhetoric and genre which can only help to bring more voices into the conversation about who writers are and what writers write.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book is accurate and error-free, but there is, but its very nature a bias. You can't entitle a book "Bad Ideas About Writing," and not have a strong point of view. For me, that is a good thing because the point of view of this text is a curative to the teaching of traditional FYC which, in my experience, doesn't work very well. I also like that the text offers me additional resources.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book will basically never be obsolete because, unlike so many FYC texts, it's not stuffed full of example essays that will lose relevance much faster than the anthologies of yesteryear because of the explosion of social media. In essence, today everyone with access to a keyboard is a writer and this book addresses the very real need to rethink what we mean when we talk about "serious" writing or academic writing.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing is accessible and clear and each essay is thoughtful in that it approaches the reader and ask them to participate in the conversation, to work through the ideas for themself. The inclusion of critical vocabulary is a positive move, but I would want it at the beginning of the reading and with working definitions included. Providing definitions on the spot for critical vocabulary can be helpful for students who struggle with language.

Consistency rating: 5

The text, terminology,and framework are successfully constructed with meaningful consistency to address the needs of busy students. The consistency eliminates the potential stress that can interrupt learning if a students feels that the material is a moving target.

Modularity rating: 5

The modularity of the text makes for easy reading and, as a teacher, easy lesson planning. Would I assign every single essay in the book? Probably not, but within each module there are multiple examples of essays that would allow me to easily differentiate instruction.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is well-organized and flows easily. I also agree with the order of the subject matter addressed because it acknowledges that the reader's ideas about writing will evolve during the time spent with the book. Again, my only caveat would be to better address the handling of critical vocabulary.

Interface rating: 3

There is a whole lot of prose in this book and nothing visual. I think the addition of the ideas presented visually would help support all learners. I understand that it's textbook, but many students need the additional support or scaffolding of something visual to address concepts with which they may be struggling.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any significant grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

One of the things I like about the book is that it, like me, acknowledges that language is fluid and as a result, writing is fluid and the ways in which we define what is "good" and what is "poor" must be reworked and flexible.

I think it's a terrific book that's been needed for a long time.

Reviewed by Angela Buchanan, Instructor, University of Colorado Boulder on 6/11/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This edited collection would be ideal for a graduate-level pedagogy course, professional training for Rhetoric and Composition faculty, or for multi-disciplinary faculty trainings designed to explore and challenge commonly-held misconceptions about the production, teaching, and assessment of writing. The collection is, by design of the editors, also meant to be a way to communicate insider discussions about these myths to a broader, public audience. The book is divided into sections that are designed to address many of the common misconceptions that still circulate about writing: overall conceptions about what “good” writing means; challenges to ideas about who can/not be a good writing; style, usage, and grammar issues; writing techniques; genres of writing; writing assessment; technology; and misconceptions about those who teach writing.

There is a clear index of sections and essays, and the grouping of the essays is logical and useful. It is set up so that one section could be used for a training session or course segment. Individual essays could be used for public education about key ideas.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The essays are written by a wide range of scholars in the field, representing diverse ideas, viewpoints, and backgrounds. Not all of them are clearly written for a lay audience, but many of the essays would be useful for that purpose.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Since the misconceptions are widespread and long-lived, historically, one hoped-for outcome would probably be that the book would eventually render itself obsolete. Given that this is unlikely, it would be easy to update by adding new/revised essays around the general themes.

Clarity rating: 4

All of the essays are well written, with clear goals and support for key ideas. They range in terms of their level of accessibility to a lay audience, so some would be more useful for an insider audience and others are more suited to public education.

Consistency rating: 5

The essays all draw from ongoing discussions in the field, addressing research and practices that inform the teaching and assessment of writing and rhetoric.

Modularity rating: 4

The subtopics are clearly organized by key ideas, and could easily be used for assignments as described above. Flagging some essays as particularly friendly for lay-audience use could be helpful.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Each section has a range of essays representing different key ideas and voices. Some of the sections are more robust than others, but all are clear and well-represented.

Interface rating: 5

There are no issues with the interface; the book is easy to navigate and information is clearly represented.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is well-edited, and has a whole section that addresses some of the problems with a fixation on grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The collection is designed to disrupt some of the common, damaging ideas about writing that are grounded in white supremacy culture. Essays are written by writers from relatively-diverse backgrounds and demographics. One of its greatest strengths lies in analysis of some of the many ways that misconceptions about writing and its instruction are grounded in racism, classism, and sexism.

Reviewed by Karen Miele, Adjunct instructor, Worcester State University on 6/4/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book presents many short, easy-to-read essays that explore commonly held bad ideas about writing--from the idea that you can write "in general" (without a purpose or audience in mind) to the idea that the five paragraph essay is essential to teach. The essays dispel these "bad ideas about writing" and provide readers with research and evidence to suggest why we need to let go of these bad ideas.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate and research-based. Essays also include a "further reading" section for readers who want to delve deeper into the topics of each essay.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content of the textbook is up-to-date. Each essay provides ideas that college students have likely heard about what makes writing "good." Articles in the book look at more contemporary issues, such as the machine scoring of writing, that will help readers think about the importance of human feedback. Another section of the book focuses on technology and the role that it plays in writing.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is free of jargon and technical terminology. The prose is extremely accessible and college students should think that it reads clearly.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is extremely consistent in that it dispels ideas that people have about what "good writing" is supposed to look like.

Modularity rating: 5

The articles are short and do not need to be divided into smaller reading sections or subheadings. Every article is fewer than ten pages.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is very well organized. It is divided into clear sections: "Bad ideas about what good writing is," "Bad ideas about who good writers are," "Bad ideas about style, usage, and grammar," "Bad ideas about writing techniques," "Bad ideas about genres," "Bad ideas about assessing writing," "Bad ideas about writing and digital technology," and "Bad ideas about writing teachers." Each section has a variety of articles that are relevant and accessible.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easy to navigate and read. There are no images, graphs, or charts that are distorted. The table of contents makes it easy to navigate to essays that students are asked to read.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The writing in the text is clear and proofread well.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text does not appear to be culturally insensitive.

Great resource!

Reviewed by Angela Coffee, English Faculty , Minnesota State University System on 12/17/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This offers a myriad of entry points and perspectives on issues around writing.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The different voices/perspectives of this text trouble the notions of accuracy and bias-free writing. Instead, essays play with commonly held beliefs and assumptions around what makes writing, writers, and grammar "good."

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The issues, examples, and stories align strikingly with many of the concerns my students grapple with each semester. I can imagine incorporating a myriad of these essays into class discussions to deepen our work on various issues and topics, and I believe these perspectives will remain timely for a long time.

Clarity rating: 4

There are significant shifts across the voices of different authors. This will support my students in engaging with different examples of voice and tone.

Consistency rating: 4

The organization and structure is consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

This is very clearly organized and easy to navigate.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure/flow makes a lot of sense.

Interface rating: 5

I did not encounter any issues with this text's interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The writing in this text is clear.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I did not encounter any examples of culturally insensitivity.

I plan to incorporate these essays into my Composition courses in the future.