MLJ Reviews Edited by JUDITH E. LISKIN-GASPARRO University of Iowa MLJ Review Policy The MLJ reviews books, monographs, com- puter software, and materials that (a) present re- sults of research in—and methods of—foreign and second language teaching and learning; (b) are devoted to matters of general interest to members of the profession; (c) are intended pri- marily for use as textbooks or instructional aids in classrooms where foreign and second languages, literatures, and cultures are taught; and (d) con- vey information from other disciplines that relates directly to foreign and second language teaching and learning. Reviews not solicited by the MLJ can neither be accepted nor returned. Books and ma- terials that are not reviewed in the MLJ cannot be returned to the publisher. Responses should be typed with double spacing and submitted elec- tronically online at our ScholarOne Manuscripts address: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mlj. THEORY AND PRACTICE ATKINSON, DWIGHT (Ed.). Alternative Ap- proaches to Second Language Acquisition. New York: Routledge, 2011. Pp. 196. $36.95, paper. ISBN 978–0–415–54925–7. This volume presents a comparative description of six alternative approaches to second language acquisition (SLA), characterized as approaches that “contrast with/or complement the cogni- tivism pervading the field” (back cover). Contrib- utors and their respective approaches, presented sequentially in the volume include (a) Lantolf (sociocultural approach); (b) Larsen-Freeman (complexity theory approach); (c) Norton and McKinney (identity approach); (d) Duff and Talmy (language socialization approaches); (e) Kasper and Wagner (conversation-analytic ap- proach); and (f) Atkinson (sociocognitive ap- proach). An introductory chapter by Atkinson is also included, as well as a final chapter by Or- tega entitled “SLA After the Social Turn: Where Cognitivism and Its Alternatives Stand.” In this fi- nal chapter, Ortega attempts to reconcile aspects of cognitivism with socially oriented approaches, ultimately arguing for epistemological diversity within the evolving field of SLA. In the introductory chapter, Atkinson sets the stage for the volume by describing cognitivism and then by identifying the purpose of the volume: “to collect under one cover SLA approaches that de- part from the field’s dominant cognitive norms and assumptions, and to make those approaches directly comparable” (p. 16). The presentational format is well conceived, as the editor asked con- tributors to respond to common headings, thus easing readers’ ability to make direct comparisons among approaches. To this end, each chapter’s organizing themes include (a) an overview, (b) theoretical principles, (c) research methods, (d) supporting findings, (e) differences vis-` a-vis other alternative approaches, and (f) future directions. All contributors, with the exception of Lantolf and Kasper and Wagner, follow this common layout; these contributors chose not to include the “Dif- ferences” section. Each contributor draws attention to specific neglected areas of inquiry within the social aspects of SLA, while emphasizing that no approach should be viewed in isolation but rather as adding to a fuller understanding of how second languages (L2s) are acquired. In this vein, Atkinson’s call to contributors to compare their approaches with others in the volume is perspicacious, although one of the volume’s few shortcomings is that not all contributors took advantage of this opportunity. The editor valiantly attempts to reconcile and highlight all six approaches in his chapter on sociocognitivism. However, the ways in which the other contributors view their specific approaches within the field could have served as a demonstrable example of his project to bring diverse approaches into “mutual dialogue and engagement” (p. 17), a process that Atkinson claims in the preface is “crucial for progress” (p. xi) in the field of SLA. One of the volume’s strengths is that, although much of what is included can be found elsewhere, contributors also describe their current areas of interest, therefore advancing each chapter’s dis- cussion in comparison to other texts. For exam- ple, although Lantolf’s position on mediation as