Using a mix of reading selections that range from classical to contemporary, and divided into five thematic chapters, this book focuses on five distinct levels of knowledge: Personal Knowledge: Who Am I ?; Family Knowledge: Who Has Shaped Me ?; Cultural Knowledge: What Are My Roots ?; Societal Knowledge: How Do I Fit ?; and Disturbing Knowledge: What Do I Think ? In each chapter, the reading selections are grouped in a repeating pattern of story/poem/essay that progress from the accessible to the more challenging. In addition, the selections address the needs of multicultural audiences and also incorporate both literature and traditional scholarly discourse. Apparatus that aims to foster creative and analytic thought attempts to facilitate the true integration of reading and writing found in the text and accommodate the wide range of abilities found in classrooms in the 1990s. There are 60 reading selections, which include poetry, fiction and nonfiction written by classical and contemporary authors, ranging from Colette and Thucydides to N. Scott Momaday and Toni Cade Bambara. The inclusion of familiar as well as classical writers aims to encourage students to explore a wide variety of perspectives and beliefs. Short introductions preceding each reading provide biographical information and serve as prereading exercises that relate each selection to the theme of the chapter. Each headnote concludes with several questions for students to examine. Reader-response Options for Reading Logs that follow each reading selection aims to offer students of varying abilities and learning styles a way to respond to every selection, no matter how difficult it is, by encouraging them to rely on their personal experience and prior knowledge. Through a variety of analytical and creative assignments, the text aims to help students gain confidence in their ability to read and respond in writing to what they have read.