Thank You for Arguing

I felt that is was an ok book. To me that is saying a lot considering that I had heard several people in the discipline of rhetoric use this book as a reference or go-to material. At least in the electronic version the interjecting text boxes to provide either examples or additional superfluous details were so cumbersome that it detracted from the reading. Furthermore on a content level a significant portion of the book was intuitive in nature (don't ruin your ethos, talk to what others want, make sure to listen , etc.)

There was also a couple of portions of the book that I think are problematic in nature. These would be the focus of rhetoric above all and concepts like truthiness. Granted, there are two sections of the book that work to remedy this concern but given that at one point the author condones lying so long as the ends justify the means, I am hesitant to use this as a blanket recommendation.

I will say that there are certain sections of the book that are actually very useful. These would be concepts of tensing, concessions, and reframing.

2.5/5 stars