No Excuses!: A Brief Survival Guide to Freshman Composition

There is nothing like NO EXCUSES! A BRIEF SURVIVAL GUIDE TO FRESHMAN COMPOSITION in the market. It is completely different: not a reader, not a grammar book, not a handbook with MLA information. This brief, 87 page, intimate book is aimed at students taking beginning writing classes. It is filled with suggestions for surviving Freshman composition. It combines personal anecdotes and bits of wisdom, with practical tips for improving essay writing. NO EXCUSES! is divided into short 2-3 page cleverly titled chapters that single out specific areas. For example, the chapter titled “Why Me?” deals with student negativity towards writing. Another, titled “Forget About Easy,” deals with the hard work of writing and its rewards. The book also includes chapters on process, structure, clarity, and emphasis, but framed in more engaging ways than in a typical textbook. For 26 years, Professor Carolina Hospital has been teaching composition at Miami Dade College where she was twice awarded Endowed Teaching Chairs; consequently, she has first-hand knowledge of the students’ weaknesses, fears, and frustrations, as well as strengths. She brings a friendly, accessible, and even witty demeanor to the book. In addition, the examples used throughout are simple and selected from her college students reflecting their interests and levels of writing. With its welcoming, straight-talking, and vivid style, NO EXCUSES! is a book students will enjoy reading as they improve their writing skills. Many popular handbooks exist out there, but none really provides what beginning composition students need like this one. NO EXCUSES! A BRIEF SURVIVAL GUIDE TO FRESHMAN COMPOSITION uses a refreshing approach that will do the trick.