Rewriting: How To Do Things With Texts Review

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(More customer reviews)Written by Duke University Writing Program director Joseph Harris, Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts is a guide written especially for college students and professionals seeking to refine their academic writing technique. Leaning away from the static ideas of thesis, support and structure and toward a more naturally flowing and dynamic writing style, Rewriting challenges the reader to think of writing an adaptive, social activity and shape one's written intellectual opinions and discussions accordingly. Presented strategies for coaxing a more persuasive and intuitive tone into one's logical academic written arguments include forwarding (taking words, images, or ideas from text and putting them to use in new contexts), countering (suggesting different ways of thinking rather than simple nullification of a given ideal), and much more. Recommended for intermediate to advanced academic writers for its solid recommendations to make prose more readable, immersive, thought-provoking and natural-sounding.

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"Like all writers, intellectuals need to say something new and say it well. But unlike many other writers, what intellectuals have to say is bound up with the books we are reading . . . and the ideas of the people we are talking with."
What are the moves that an academic writer makes? How does writing as an intellectual change the way we work from sources? In Rewriting, a textbook for the undergraduate classroom, Joseph Harris draws the college writing student away from static ideas of thesis, support, and structure, and toward a more mature and dynamic understanding. Harris wants college writers to think of intellectual writing as an adaptive and social activity, and he offers them a clear set of strategies-a set of moves-for participating in it.

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Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers Review

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(More customer reviews)I expected a lot from this book and was still pleasantly surprised. James C. Humes is a very experienced speechwriter and speaker that takes the time to tell you some great secrets of public speaking.
The book goes through every aspect of speaking from opening to closing and beyond. Each section has many great ideas to take from it. There was no chapter that I did not walk away from saying, "That was a great idea!" When he makes a recommendation, he backs it up with supporting facts and real stories that illustrate the point.
The book is also easy to read. The writing style is easy to read and is interesting. Humes seamlessly ties in stories from the great speakers of history to demonstrate his ideas. Many of the stories are humorous, but all are good. Humes is also very clear in his recommendations, which leaves little confusion on the reader's part.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in public speaking.

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Turn Any Presentation into a Landmark OccasionEver wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening line of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention by looming larger than life before your audience, much like Abraham Lincoln when, standing erect and wearing a top hat, he towered over seven feet? Now, you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history's greatest speakers.Author, historian, and world-renowned speaker James C. Humes—who wrote speeches for five American presidents—shows you how great leaders through the ages used simple yet incredibly effective tricks to speak, persuade, and win throngs of fans and followers. Inside, you'll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuated her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much, much more.Whether you're addressing a small nation or a large staff meeting, you'll want to master the tips and tricks in Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln. "As a student of speech, I very much enjoyed this intriguing historic approach to public speaking. Humes creates a valuable and practical guide."—Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO, FOX News"I love this book. I've followed Humes's lessons for years, and he combines them all into one compact, hard-hitting resource. Get this book on your desk now."—Chris Matthews, Hardball

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Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More Review

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(More customer reviews)What is food writing? Before I read Jacob's book, I thought I might learn a few techniques for writing restaurant reviews. Wow -- I was wrong! This is a huge, magnificent field, of which I've merely sampled my first appetizer.
The author's research in compiling this book is extensive. In presenting her ideas, she doesn't limit readers to her own personal experience; she interviewed hundreds of successful food writers and asked them how they got started, what a typical day is like, and what advice they have to give.
Despite her years of industry experience, Jacob truly understands the heart of a beginner, and her voice is as far from snooty-hooty as one can be. Readers will feel encouraged and energized after reading chapters on the secrets of restaurant reviewing, cookbook compiling, recipe writing (yes, it is an art form!), memoir and nonfiction food writing, and food in fiction.
Jacob's passion is so contagious, her words dance across the page. She seems especially interested in the trend of narrative food writing, and she gives you tips on how to make your writing full of jolt and flavor. What are the three laziest adjectives used to describe food? She says "nice," "wonderful," and "delicious." She writes, "They are so vague that readers don't know what you mean other than something positive." Instead, she offers an extensive list of adjectives in chapter 5 that make it well worth the price of the book.
I'm only a simple home cook. My creativity usually involves whipping up kid-friendly favorites without having to dash off to the grocery store for exotic ingredients. Although I've written a few of my own recipes, I certainly didn't realize what an exciting art form food writing can be.
While reading this book, we ate out at a new restaurant, and I imagined myself as one of those fancy New York Times reviewers in disguise (didn't know they may actually wear wigs!). I had our waiter answering a myriad of questions, and even dashing back to speak with the chef. I brought home a menu and scribbled all over it my impressions.
I'm intrigued as to how to better describe tastes and food. And I never considered children's books to be a place where good food writing can exist. After reading WILL WRITE FOR FOOD, I am much more aware. I appreciate the recommendation from Writer's Digest and will certainly add this to my bookshelf of favorites.
I love the way she describes what it takes to make a great reviewer: [They] have passion, knowledge, authority, a great writing style, and stamina...They give the reader a feel for the place, its rhythm, and overall vibe. And they keep up their energy level and enthusiasm. Passion is paramount."
She quotes experienced food critic Alan Richman who says he can't wait to see what a restaurant has in store for him. He shares, "I get a hop in my step."
A well done book, indeed.
--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester

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The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from America's Greatest Writing Teacher Review

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(More customer reviews)This being my introduction to Donald Murray, I quickly found myself joining ranks with all those before me who were inspired by Murray's work and words. Part of me thinks that this collection should have been titled, THE QUOATABLE DON MURRAY because I found myself underlining every other sentence in this book! I believe what sets Murray apart from others is his diverse interests that inform his thinking about writing. Being interested in multiple mediums myself, I found this refreshing as I, too feel there lie connections between all types of expression: be it music, art or writing. Murray asserts that these connections can help us understand the process of how we come to capture and interpret what we are thinking.
THE ESSENTIAL DON MURRAY contains not only Murray's essays, but also serves as a compilation of excerpts from his "daybooks," sketches, photographs, poems, and quotes from other writers and artists that Murray found affirming. I particularly enjoyed looking over Murray's typed drafts, often littered with handwritten notes, a wonderful (and informative) opportunity to view the artist at work. Since Murray's manuscripts, etc. are now housed at the Polymer Institute, this book provides access to the best of that collection.
Perhaps what touched me most about this collection is Murray's honesty and courage. Even in his more instructional essays, he does not shy away from speaking (and writing) about the difficult moments of his life: being a paratrooper, understanding a rough childhood, coping with his daughter's death, with his own heart attack, and with growing old. Murray never gives the sense that these types of events are only reserved for certain genres. "All my writing - and yours - is autobiographical," something to be embraced, Murray asserts, not ashamed of. I take solace in these words because I feel that too many times we are asked to write as NOT ourselves, such as essays for classes or even publication.
THE ESSENTIAL DON MURRAY gave me heart to continue writing; to be selfish about it, make time for it, nurture and get brash with it. "I'm no George Orwell, but neither was George Orwell most days," that kind of unconditional encouragement is what I found throughout this book, and why it has a special place on my own writing desk.

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Don Murray s mission was to demystify writing by revealing as much as possible about the habits, processes, and practices of writers. This book carries on his work and shows the evolution of his thinking by collecting his most influential pieces as well as unpublished essays, entries from his daybook, drawings, and numerous examples of his famous handouts.KEY WORKS ON WRITING IN ONE COLLECTIONWriting as Process: How Writing Finds Its Own Meaning The Listening Eye: Reflections on the Writing Conference Teaching the Other Self: The Writer s First Reader Write Before Writing Writing Badly to Write Well: Searching for the Instructive Line All Writing is Autobiography and more60 years of work and wisdom: THE ESSENTIAL DON MURRAYDon Murray on...teaching writing as process, not product Instead of teaching finished writing, we should teach unfinished writing, and glory in its unfinishedness. We work with language in action. We share with our students the continual excitement of choosing one word instead of another, of searching for the one true word. This is not a question of correct or incorrect, of etiquette or custom. This is a matter of far higher importance. understanding the writing process The process of making meaning with written language can not be understood by looking backward from a finished page. Process can not be inferred from product any more than a pig can be inferred from a sausage. It is possible, however, for us to follow the process forward from blank page to final draft and learn something of what happens. knowing the writer within There is always magic in this for me, and wonder because I do not know what I am going to say until it is said. The writer within is always a stranger, with a grin, a top hat and long, quick fingers which produce what was not there before. I shall never know this magic man well, although he has been with me for sixty years. He entices me with his capacity for surprise. doing the work of writing Writing is primarily not a matter of talent, of dedication, of vision, of vocabulary, of style, but simply a matter of sitting. The writer is a person who writes.

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A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare: A Topical Guide to Over 3,000 Great Passages from the Plays, Sonnets, and Narrative Poems Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fun read for all who would like to include the wit and wisdom of Shakespeare in their daily communications. The alphabetical topics include such topics as lateness, wisdom, family, and happiness. Additional specific topics cover Principals, such as Hamlet and MacBeth. When searching for the right phrase, one has only to look up a subject and there are multiple examples of Shakespearean wisdom from which to choose. The book is equally fun to just read page after page. This is a good add-on for those who studied Shakespeare and now wish to refresh their knowledge on the subject.

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