"America in Close-Up" is a study of contemporary America which looks at a variety of aspects of life in the United States. Each unit of the book has three parts; Part A offers a clear and detailed account of some aspect of American society and in Part B the subject is explored further through interviews, articles and photographs taken from contemporary newspapers and journals such as "Time" and "Newsweek", which give an insight into the way Americans see themselves and show the contrasting views held by people in the different strata of society. The factual information in Part A provides the historical and cultural context for students to understand the issues discussed in the texts in Part B which range from immigration and race relations to the death penalty. Part C contains exercises and activities designed to enhance understanding of the texts in Part B and to help students to decide what they think about the issues involved. The book is intended to be used by advanced students