Compelling American Conversations: Questions & quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners, by Eric H. Roth and Toni Aberson with Hal Bogotch

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.]

Like the other two books in this particular series on learning English [1] [2], this book shares as lot of broad similarities in photos, organization, and content with its companion volumes. It is divided into fifteen chapters that share broad similarities in structure with the other books. Yet this book has some distinctives that are worth discussing briefly as well. Those who read this book, or any of the others in the series, will find a shared commitment to conversational English, to the examination of proverbial wisdom and witty quotations, along with the open and avowed goal of provoking thought and reflection and encouraging responsible action based on that thought.

This particular book (which has a third co-author in addition to the mother and son team that wrote the other two books in the series) appears geared to an audience of adult immigrants who seek to move to the United States permanently. It is written from a point of view that combines two very strong tendencies, one being a patient and encouraging and supportive attitude towards immigrants in seeking their best interests through education, and the other being a very strong push towards providing those immigrants with opportunities for acculturation, so that they can be accepted by those around them (particularly in urban environments). Also, this particular volume is not addressed to the advanced English language learners of the first two volumes, but is directed at intermediate speakers, those who have enough knowledge to be able to go on the internet or read a dictionary but are not yet entirely fluent in English.

As a result of this focus on intermediate speakers, this particular volume is focused more on diligent practice in key areas (including a strong focus on building vocabulary as answering a lot of “why” questions about whether one agrees or disagrees with various proverbs, as well as “on your own” and “seek and share” assignments after nearly every chapter that spur the learner to going online to watch videos or read material that will give them a greater familiarity with English language as well as American culture. The book is full of helpful books and websites and has more explanations of the reasons why certain materials are covered, as well as asking the learner as well to justify their own positions, which are well suited to adult learners who want encouragement as well as explanations for why certain material is covered.

Much of the material in this book overlaps with the previous two volumes of the series, but even here there are subtle areas of emphasis that are distinctive. For example, the authors ask the readers if they have gotten a driver’s license yet, an assumption that the reader is making plans to become at least a permanent resident. The conversations are focused on aspects of personal life (identity, friendship, habits, handling stress, photography) as well as specific aspects of American culture that a new immigrant would need to be familiar with in order to be accepted (sports, television, movies, fashion, studying the English language, American holidays, acing job interviews, handling money, exploring American cities). The goal of an astute reader of this particular volume would be to acquire the knowledge and mindset of curiosity about others and ability to express one’s own perspective that would enable one to be a responsible and successful resident of the United States without having lost oneself in the process.

Of particular interest to this reader is the attitude of support and encouragement that fills this volume. From the opening quotations, with their strong sense of social justice and personal responsibility [3], the book is filled with a tone of building up its reader not only in terms of knowledge but also in spirit, seeking to connect the reader with others who are learning English, encouraging patience on the part of the reader with his or her own progress as well as the English-speaking abilities of fellow conversationalists, and providing resources for people to go to be better connected as members of American society. It is immensely stressful to move to another country, intensely lonely and alienating, but this book can certainly help a little bit in making the process easier for its readers who have moved here to the United States or who are planning to do so.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/book-review-compelling-conversations-questions-quotations-on-timeless-topics/

[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/why-do-jews-and-christians-read-ruth-for-shavuot-pentecost-the-feast-of-weeks/

[3] See, for example:

“You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.” – Cèsar Chávez

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“We hold the power, and bear the responsibility. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” – Abraham Lincoln