Writing Through Reading by John M. Hardaway and Francine Hardaway (review)

WRITING THROUGH READING BY JOHN M. HARDAWAY and FRANCINE HARDAWAY (Cambridge Mass.: Winthrop Publishers, Inc., 1979. 317 pages $7.95.) Anticipating the current trend to integrate instruction, Hardaway and Hardaway's text proposes to improve both reading and writing skills. The book is divided into four parts: words, sentences, essays, and readings for pleasure . Chapters combine instruction in reading and writing with short readings by such established authors as Ellison, Welty, and Updike. Although each chapter includes sections on vocabulary and comprehension , the reading instruction is essentially superficial. Vocabulary instruction, for example, consists primarily of admonitions to define unfamiliar words. While some mention is made of context analysis, no strategies are given and no practice provided. Reading comprehension is expediently dealt with by stating that the main idea should be identified, but students are not told in detail how to discover the main idea nor given any extensive practice. Comprehension questions are included at the end of the short reading selections found in each chapter, but they are the usual content-testing items supplemented by some attention to tone and inference. Moreover, the long readings in the last section have neither a rate chart nor discussion questions. As a reading text, or even as an integrated reading and writing text, the book has serious weaknesses. But as a writing text, it has merit. Based primarily on Christensen's rhetoric of the sentence and the paragraph, the book provides students with a means of improving the stylistic maturity of their writing . The book assumes, however, certain existing skills. There is no attempt to teach correctness or editing skills. Stylistic variety and maturity (again as defined by Christensen) are the implicit goals oftheentire text. Thus sentences are classified not as simple, compound, and complex but as loose, balanced, and periodic. Some attention is given to coordination and subordination in both sentences and paragraphs, but the instruction is minimaland the practice almost non-existent. Furthermore, no attempt is made to relate these important concepts to reading. Although the book, which includes both free and structured writing exercises , might be an excellent text for a class of advanced writers, it would be entirely inappropriate for basic writing and reading classes. Because the book depends so completely on Christensen's theory, the teacher who chooses itasa text should be knowledgeable about this particular approach to composition. ANN MOSELEY and JEANETTE HARRIS* *ANN MOSELEY is Supervior of the Reading Center at East Texas State University. She has published articles in Melus and Western American Literature. JEANETTE HARRIS is Supervisor ofthe WritingCenter atthe same university and has articles accepted for publication in the Journal of Basic Writing and the College Language Association Journal. ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW ...