Composing Critical Pedagogies: Teaching Writing as Revision. (2000). Amy Lee. National Council of Teachers of English. 309 pp., $29.95 (paperback). ISBN 0-8141-3040-2.

Review by: Caroline Calvillo

Milgard School of Business

University of Washington-Tacoma

In her book, Composing Critical Pedagogies: Teaching Writing as Revision, Amy Lee delivers a powerful message about the complicated issues surrounding the teaching of writing. She makes a compelling argument for teaching writing as an interactive progression between writers and readers as well as addresses the physical location of the writer, the "institutional, social, and political factors" in classrooms, the pedagogies teachers use, and the discipline of composition itself (p. 2). In other words, Lee considers everything, including her student's writings and class discussions, in her book.

As an assistant professor and Co-director of Writing in the General College at the University of Minnesota, Lee teaches Basic Writing and Community Action Learning writing courses. She is interested in collaborative, ongoing, teacher-development initiatives, and serves as a resource teacher in the university Early Career Faculty Development Program.

Composing Critical Pedagogies is neither an easy nor quick read, and its density compares to that of theoretical compositions of writers such as James Berlin. Lee refers to Berlin, in fact, in her book. While this book will require considerable time and effort from readers without in-depth knowledge and experience of composition and rhetoric, some points emerge that have significance for various kinds of academic advisors.

Advisors could benefit from learning about the problems of teaching writing from the educator's point of view as well as from reading student perspectives. Advisors would gain insight into the writing problems students face, and when faced with advising questions due to a student's writing problems, could perhaps better facilitate communication between the student and the instructor. Reading this book helps one gain a framework of understanding "that all . . . instructional acts take place in specific and active context" (p. 56); this context is complex and meaningful for the student writer and instructor. Taking a holistic approach to teaching writing, as Lee posits, allows for the opportunity to see the relationships between the many parts of writing and teaching writing.