Rosenblatt, Roger
In Rosenblatt's "Screams from Somewhere Else," the author examines the way in which people react to hearing screams from locations unknown. The notorious Kitty Genovese case, one of his examples, is dealt with at some length at http://www.lihistory.com/8/hs818a.htm.
Gage, Nicholas
In "The Teacher Who Changed My Life," Gage tells his reader a story about the teacher who set him on his career path. We sometimes call such influential people in our lives role models or heroes. Take a look at the My Hero page at http://myhero.com/home.asp to see everyday people who are considered heroes to the people in their lives.
Liu, Sophronia
In "So Tsi-fai," Liu examines the effects of academic pressure on a boy she knew in sixth grade. She questions whether this strain was what drove him to his death. Academic pressure can be extremely harmful. Take a look at an article on Grad Resources at http://www.gradresources.org/articles/emotional_fatigue.shtml for more on this topic.
Staples, Brent
In "Just Walk On By," Staples talks about the assumptions we make about people based on their appearance. He is also addressing the issue of stereotypes and their dangers. For more on this subject take a look at this piece written by bell hooks called "Madonna: Plantation Mistress or Soul Sister" at http://stevenstanley.tripod.com/docs/bellhooks/madonna.html
Noda, Kesaya
Noda examines the difficult issue of growing up in a country different from that of your birth or of your parent's birth. She is an Asian woman living in America. The issues she raises are common ones. Take a look at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families site at http://www.cacf.org/ and see some of the statistics and available resources.
Walker, Alice
In "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self," Walker contemplates beauty and what it means to her life. Whether or not one sees oneself as attractive to others directly correlates to one's self-esteem. Check out Women Today Magazine.com at http://www.womentodaymagazine.com/features/selfesteem.html to read more on this topic.
Healy, Melissa
Healy addresses the notion of the moral decline of society and how some are addressing this issue. Take a look at what people are doing in the face of what they see as moral decay at http://www.beliefnet.com. | 
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education