Critically examines 6 dominant myths of U.S. culture.  By focusing on myths that students themselves often accept uncritically, Rereading America challenges them to recognize their own assumptions and to defend or revise their views. The myths include: (1) the nuclear family is the only solid basis for society; (2) education empowers all citizens; (3) technology aids social and economic progress; (4) success is solely the product of hard work; (5) gender roles are biologically rather than culturally determined; and (6) America is a melting pot, where people from different cultures blend together to form a homogeneous whole.

Spurs critical thinking through culturally and politically diverse readings. In the chapter introductions, the authors explain and examine the foundations of each cultural myth. The 45 readings throughout include some selections that articulate the myths, such as "Our Future Selves," a paean to personal technology, by Google executives Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen. Other readings feature differing views from groups pushed to the margins of American society, such as people of color, women, and gays and lesbians, including these:

• Gary Soto, in "Looking for Work," tells the story of a Mexican-American boy who wants his family to imitate the white families he sees on TV.
• Jean Kilbourne, in "'Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Advertising and Violence," examines the connection between violence and the objectification of women in advertisements.
• Diana Kendall, in "Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption," shows how the mass media propagates middle class norms while denigrating working class values, fueling a consumer culture that drives economic inequality.

These alternative perspectives complicate the myths and prompt students to re-examine their own thinking and values.

Models different kinds of writing from a variety of disciplines and genres. Representing a wide array of forms and genres, selections range from the personal (memoirs, oral histories) to the popular (journalistic accounts, poems, short stories, cartoons, paintings, and photographs) to the academic (writings from the disciplines of sociology, history, education, political science, and psychology). Many selections are documented.

Supports critical thinking and writing through extensive editorial apparatus. The pedagogical apparatus provides instruction in thinking and writing critically as it offers multiple opportunities to do so after every selection. “Fast Facts” present provocative statistics to provide context and prompt discussion, and “Further Connections” assignments include suggestions for further research on each chapter’s myth.