Reading has never been more popular in America than it is today. While students continue to read many of the standards, new genres have emerged. These have captured growing interest and are playing a critical role in the language arts classroom. This book maps the state of popular literature and reading in America today, including the growth of blogs, interactive fiction, and other electronic media. Each entry is written by an expert and provides a definition of the genre, its history, trends and themes, a discussion of how the literary form engages contemporary issues, the genre's critical reception, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading.The set includes alphabetically arranged entries on some 100 contemporary literary genres, such as: Arthurian Literature; Asian American Literature; Christian Fiction; Cybertexts; Ecopoetry; Fantasy Literature; Graphic Novels; Historical Writing; Interactive Fiction; Manga and Anime; Military Thrillers; Native American Literature; Pop Psychology; Science Writing; Terrorism Fiction; Weblogs; Zines; and, many more.