With 50 very brief readings — all new to this edition — from over 35 very recent periodicals and student newspapers on 12 topics of current interest, America Now reflects what students are talking and writing about right now.

A key challenge in the first-year composition course is to inspire students as readers and to spark the kind of thoughtful classroom discussion that leads to solid academic writing. As series editor of The Best American Essays, Robert Atwan constantly scours a wide range of print and online periodicals, bringing to America Now an unrivaled awareness of the best writing on today’s hottest issues — and the editorial support students need to approach it. To make these issues especially relevant for students, Atwan also explores hundreds of campus newspapers on the Internet to find the best student writing on current topics. These models by their peers from across the country show students that they, too, can share ideas through their own discussion and writing.