Book Review: They Say, I Say

Ana Suarez

Ms. Goransson

Adv. Comp- 5

27 January 2014     

Book Review

I like to consider myself a strong writer, but sometimes I find myself stuck on how to get started on a writing assignment. The book They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provides multiple templates to get you started on any type of writing assignment. The templates they use are basic structures that are perfect for academic writers.  The book provides simple tips and tricks that will equip writers with a quick fix to writing by using more show than tell.

            This book provides information on all types of writing, from persuasive essays to research writing. However the main idea they address is learning how to incorporate quotes into your writing while still using your own style. In fact the cover illustrates this by having a text bubble with They say written in it and another text bubble adjacent from it that reads I say. The bubbles are slightly touching but they don’t overlap which is the perfect visual for the book because it shows that you can take what others say and put it into what you write without losing your voice.  While addressing that the book introduces various ideas to keep in mind and reminds writers to “pay attention to the audience and their purpose” when writing (127). These little tips seem like basic ideas that every writer knows but a reminder is helpful. Plus, the book does more than simply tell you the tip it shows you examples!

The book covers the basic frames of writing in a very easy to follow way; however it reads more like a textbook than a pleasure book.  But the positive side to  using didactic text, is that it acts like instructions and the writer can construct their paper while using this as a tool.  I know personally if I were stuck on how to write a persuasive paper I would want to use this book because it is the perfect resource for getting started. Each chapter in this book covers different topics such as writing for data, addressing critics in your writing, and incorporating quotes while keeping your voice. Along with that it provides examples from real pieces of writing, easy to follow templates, and end of the chapter exercises to review your knowledge. Some people could find these templates to be limiting to their originality, but these templates are not set in stone and can be manipulated into any way you need. This book is also helpful for students in an advanced writing course because it offers explicit details and clearly lays out the rhetorical elements of writing. It includes specific lessons such as listing verbs for introducing, explaining and incorporating other voices with one’s own, and also gives strategies for situations where one agrees and disagrees simultaneously with a topic. These are all important skills to have in an advanced course such as AP English Language and Composition since it is all about analyzing rhetorical devices in literature.

             All the tips and tricks the book suggests does not only provide advice for writers but it is helpful for writing tutors as well. One suggestion that they give is that a writer “talks out ideas” (149).  Having a conversation about the work of writing usually offers clarity and confidence for the writer. In fact they say, “discussion helps your ideas become more cogent and powerful” (141). I think this is a tip that many people don’t take advantage of, but it is so easy to talk out ideas and the wonderful thing about it is that you can express what you want to say in a clearer and more constructed way rather than writing down a very vague rough draft.

            Another notable attribute of this book is the fact that it is credible. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, the authors, are both English professors who are skilled when it comes to writing. Since they have years of experience along with the credentials to teach higher level college courses it reassures readers that the tips they receive in this book are some of the best out there. It also proves how this book can be used for a range of needs from the basic middle school writer to the strong collegiate writer.  

            Overall this book is a sensible guide for writers. It reestablished ideas that I knew and took them further in depth while also introducing new concepts and giving me a different, insider perspective on the rules of writing. I think this book should be required for all high school students to read because they truly will benefit from this. They Say, I Say is a helpful for book for students and scholars alike, and I say it is definitely worth reading.

           

           

Works Cited

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. 2nd ed. New

York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.