Academic Reading With Active Critical Thinking

by Janet Maker, Minnette Lenier

When you're reading effectively, you're thinking critically. That's the idea behind Academic Reading with Active Critical Thinking. More than just a mixed bag of advice, Maker and Lenier's A.C.T. (Active Critical Thinking) gives you a coherent strategy for reading academic texts with a critical perspective. Academic Reading with Active Critical Thinking helps you sharpen your critical reading and thinking skills together in real academic contexts. In the initial chapters, Maker and Lenier review essential skills and introduce A.C.T. - a clear, streamlined way to interact with texts and understand them fully. An exceptional collection of timely and engaging readings - both persuasive and informative texts - provide meaningful contexts for practicing your skills. Part II includes five pairs of pro/con readings on a variety of timely issues giving you valuable experience with the kind of comparative study you find in college courses. Part III features selections from current textbooks from across the curriculum. And Part IV offers a rich mixture of persuasive and informative pieces. The skills instruction and pedagogy with the readings gradually scale back as you become a more sophisticated reader. So no matter what course of study you pursue, A.C.T. prepares you to learn more than ever before.

310 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1994

About the author

Now in her 80s, Janet saw a movie called Finding Joe, about Joseph Campbell's myth of the hero's journey and how it applies to ordinary people. It made sense out of so many things in her own life that it inspired her to write her autobiography from that perspective. She wanted to tell her story about how she learned to master her fears and create a fulfilling life with few regrets, in hopes of inspiring others, especially women.

Janet Maker's previous book, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, describes her experience with breast cancer treatment in 2011. Because she has a background in research, she found out a great deal that other people don't know. Rather than passively following her doctors' advice, she was able to make more informed decisions to give herself a better chance to recover and stay in remission. Readers might make different decisions than she did, but the information will empower them to make the decisions that are best for them.

Dr. Maker is retired from a distinguished career as a professor and author of leading textbooks in the field of College Reading.

At her website, you can subscribe to her free weekly newsletter which will keep you up to date about breast cancer, and her biweekly blog which features topics of interest to everyone affected by breast cancer. The website also has a list of important resources, and you can contact Dr. Maker personally there: twgbreastcancer.com