Representing the "Other: Basic Writers and the Teaching of Basic Writing

by Bruce Horner, Min-Zhan Lu

Book by Horner, Bruce, Lu, Min-Zhan

Paperback

First published February 28, 2007

Reviews

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bryce Horner and Min-Zahn Lu provide a strong theoretical/critical text about basic writing's contingency to "other" students and misrepresent their abilities, identities, and words within a basic writing classroom. Primarily a critique of Mina Suaghnessy, author of Errors and Expectations, as well as the principal figurehead in starting Basic Writing at CUNY during Open Admissions back in the 1970s, Writing the "Other" is informative of how pedagogues like Sayghnessy's are more problematic than they may appear initially. This said, my principal critique of this book comes from a 50 page essay written by Min-Zahn Lu. Both Horner and Lu are fantastic writers whose words are charged with ideas, but this one particular essay by Lu seems more esoteric than the others, relying largely on the reader having background knowledge of the critics involved within her critique. This said, I can still say I enjoyed the book overall, even if I feel like that one section could have been presented differently.