Engaged Writers and Dynamic Disciplines: Research on the Academic Writing Life Book

The depth of the research in this book is fantastic, and the findings are elucidated in clear, well-organized sections. As a writing teacher, I found many ideas that I will apply to my teaching immediately, and even more that I will want to think about and integrate over time.

As a researcher, I also appreciate the detailed descriptions of research methods, and the incredible amount and types of data the authors gathered and interpreted.

The only drawback to the book is that much of the time it speaks about composition courses in ways that seem most relevant to upper-division rather than first-year comp. At times I wished the authors had given a bit more insight into how their findings apply at the first-year level. That said, any experienced writing teacher should be able to make that translation; the drawback is minor, especially in light of the book's strengths.