This reader is designed to be used in a one-semester curriculum program which is linked to topics outlined in the American Issues Forum calendar. It is intended for use at the local level. The course seeks to develop new understandings of the problems and realities of contemporary America. Ways in which American values and assumptions about national character can be tested by a people's activities are explored. It examines phases of America at work and at leisure, the nation's self-conceived role in the international scene, and the social institutions which have directed and shaped American character. The reader offers a selection of documents, essays, memoirs, poetry, and fiction. Divided into four units, its topics include Working in America; The Business of America; America in the World; and Growing up and Pursuing Happiness in America. It contains well-known articles, such as "The Workers" by Lasson; "Sister Carrie" by Dreiser; "Autobiography" by Carnegie; "Wealth against Commonwealth" by Lloyd; "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" by Hofstadter; "Fire in the Lake" by FitzGerald; "A Well-Ordered Family" by Wadsworth; and "The Culture Consumers" by Toffler. This reader can be used in conjunction with the corresponding study guide, leader's source book, newspaper packet, and examination questions. (Author/ND)