John Langan (1)

Ben McKee's life takes a drastic turn for the worse when his mother marries her violent, manipulative boyfriend, Larry. Trapped in his own home, cut off from the aunt he loves, adrift at a new school and beaten bloody whenever the mood strikes his step-father, Ben doesn't see a way out. Frenetically paced, the books does not give the reader a chance to disengage. The book's violent content is offset by a general lack of descriptive language, and though it attempts to present a more "street" show more world, no offensive language appears. Not recommended for younger readers, this book nonetheless would be perfect for reluctant readers, with its high interest content, short length and quick pace. show less

Ben's father ran away when he was very young so he and his mother have lived with her sister. But when his mother married and they moved across town, things changed. His stepfather became abusive when he drank and matters turned even darker when he lost his job.

Things weren't all bad for Ben, however. He started a new school, Bluford High, and his aunt knew the principal. He also lucked out by having a class with a great English teacher and got a job helping in a corner store. This last show more improvement gave Ben a place to be other than his house and to earn money to feed himself.

A short, emotion-packed book perfect for teens who are reluctant readers. show less

I bought this thinking it was required for a class - turns out I didn't need it. But, it still has proven to be quite an invaluable book.

Like the other books I have: "Pathways"; "A Writer's Reference"; "Student's Book of College English"; and the "McGraw Hill Handbook" - it covers basic principles of effective writing; paragraph development; essay development; and research skills.

It also covers sentence skills: grammar, mechanics, punctuation, word use, and even has some practice show more worksheets.

The book also includes sample readings sorted by "rhetoric".

The book is simple, clean, and easy to read, even at close to 800 pages. I use it here or there for reference and a refresher course. show less

The story called "The Warrior Within" was excellent and very inspirational. The rest of the book was just "ok".