This anthology invites readers to experience the pleasures of reading by offering them a selection of readings that are accessible and diverse in style, voice, and content. Furthermore, the instructional apparatus that accompanies each reading helps readers develop vocabulary and critical reading skills. Thus readers are invited into the conversation about events, lives, and ideas that we call reading, and given the tools to help them do so in a manner that makes reading satisfying, rewarding, and essential. A multicultural collection of authors explore many facets of life through the written word. The readings are a sampling of contemporary literature from the late twentieth century as well as a few pieces written in earlier times. They are divided into seven chapters, each focusing on a different kind or purpose of reading. The majority of the readings are works of prose, but each chapter also includes a sampling of poetry. For those who are planning to begin or return to college; for GED preparation classes and workplace literacy programs; and for ESOL classes for students capable of reading and speaking basic English but in need of developing more sophisticated language skills, both spoken and written, as well as a deeper understanding of American history and culture.