Well, ok, here's my argument.

I say what is lacking in Gerald Graff's teaching philosophy is vision.

As president of the MLA Graff is a widely respected and influential figure, but what is lacking in his many books and articles is a vision of the intellectual life that transcends the kind of partisan bickering that marks so much of public life in American politics and education and media and champions the kind of broad-mindedness that sees beyond divisions and polarities (which are sometimes deep but often superficial) and works toward a higher synthesis, a larger vision, a longer view.

For example: A superficial gloss of the the culture wars would see two sides arguing from incommensurable positions, but if one steps back and surveys the field the two positions can be seen to be arguing toward the same end. Both sides believe in democratic principles of fair play and equal opportunity and academic freedom and the pursuit of the individual as well as the common good. Often the discussion gets bogged down because each side misunderstands the other side's position and therefore is suspicious of the other side's intentions so the dialogue never progresses past the level of mutual misrepresentation and mutual distrust.

I'll try to clarify by accurately representing each side's position and intentions. Each side has their ideal of what a university's mission should be and they are not mutually exclusive ideals. The social and cultural progressives believe that the liberal project has either been unsuccesful or is incomplete and that it is the American intellectual's duty to make America live up to its initial promise. Thus many progressive intellectuals do what amounts to social work by securing the rights of special interest groups (gender, racial, ethnic, queer). They do this not just by changing laws but also by changing the way we practice culture. The progressive does not necessarily see this as the only end of education but as an essential part of the work that they do. The social and cultural conservative believes essentially the same thing. They talk of preserving a tradition by teaching a core curricula and core values but egalitarianism and freedom are our core values and preserving these shared values means securing them for everyone, otherwise they are no longer shared values. As for cultural literacy there has never been one cultural literacy in American life, but multiple literacies. Multiculturalism is simply a new name for what has always been this nations reality; we are and having always been a collection of diverse peoples with diverse backgrounds, levels of education, and interests. But the common interests of our national public life have been consistent.

Since Alexis de Tocqueville we have heard voiced accusations that America is anti-intellectual. I think there is a mistrust of intellectuals in this country largely because there is a misunderstanding as to what they do. Graff speaks to us about how to teach persuasive writing but he rarely says anything about the higher aims of education. I think the higher aim of education is a broadness of mind that encourages students not to enter the fray and the partisan bickering that so often passes for discourse but to rise above the fray.

Teaching the controversies means that we no longer read the best essays only current ones. The best essays present us with minds that are not contestatory but contemplative. These essays present us with the best models of the intellectual life and the best way to live, and this should be the aim of education.

The book was in excellent condition and arrived very quickly and I am extrememly pleased with the services provided.

I used "They Say/I Say" with my composition students in the Spring semester of 2008. Frankly, I had some reservations because the department required a fairly expensive handbook, and this would be an add-on. On the plus side, it was brief enough to go over thoroughly and was not too expensive. I thought it would be useful if students read it.

As usual, I made assignments in the book, and we discussed each chapter. I was surprised by student reactions when I surveyed students informally at the end of the semester. My students were very enthusiastic. Most said that they read it and referred back to it while they were writing. There were no negative comments, and most students felt that it was worth reading and had made their writing better. A few said that it made them more confident academic writers because it helped them to express their opinions beyond just agreeing or disagreeing with an author. Most astonishing, most said that they weren't planning to sell it at buy back because they found it so helpful.

It's unusual to find students enthusiastic about a composition text book. I plan to use it again next semester.

This book was required for one of my college courses, so I didn't expect much from it. But, I was surprised by how much I have learned from it. I have learned how to use quotes in my papers appropriately and how to introduce those quotes. I have also learned how to clearly state both sides of an argument and how to put in my opinion. There are also useful templates throughout the whole book. I definitely recommend this book to anyone writing any kind of paper for school. I usually sell my books back to the school, but I will definitely be keeping this one!

If you are new to grad school or writing; this is a good book for you. If you have been in grad school for a while, then it is a waste of time.

This book is valuable for writers who are not yet experienced with writing extensive research papers or entering ongoing debates that demand a summarization of previous arguments. Though much of this book is filled with writing templates which may or may not help writers of nonfiction, they are a good starting point to open up discussions on important issues. Learn how to summarize what someone else has said, or how to give an unbiased overview of past arguments. I'd say this book is essential for high school level writers, or even young college students, but not for creative writers whatsoever.

This nifty little book is a great tool for teaching composition to students who struggle with writing. The explanations and sentence templates clarify the structure of academic argument essays, and give students a foothold in writing. The compact size is a plus. I've recommended it to other teachers in my "Teaching Writing to Students with Learning Disabilities/ADHD" courses and workshops.

After struggling a whole semester in my graduate program on my writing, I obtained a copy of this book and realized that I did not fully understand the academic writing. I didn't know that academic writing was about persuasive writing.

Since reading the book, my writing, my thinking and even how I articulate my thoughts have improved exponentially. Not only have I suggested it to my colleagues, who also love it, I will be recommending it to new graduate students. It's an indispensible resource that I plan to read again and use as a constant resource for writing my dissertation.

This engaging book will help me to help my students improve their writing. I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to trying it out in the fall.

This book really kicked up my academic writing skills. Previously, I'd let quotes speak for themselves or me. This short reference shifted my perspective to incorporate quotes that reinforce my analysis or incorporate quotes that I would like to dispute. Result: fewer quotes, clearer understanding on my analysis of the theory, concept, or idea, and a more thoughtful paper that represents my voice rather than a parrot.

Recently, I wanted to include some excerpts from this book in a handout that I was writing for my advanced juniors and seniors, and I couldn't find any excerpts because I couldn't figure out which parts *not* to quote. I wanted to quote the book in its entirety. I am just going to have to assign the whole thing and forget the handout.

I agree with past reviewers that this little book is appropriate for many ages, but I think it would be especially suited to the students who have fully mastered the conventional five-paragraph essay but have not been able to move beyond it.

It's also a better introduction to sophisticated academic *reading* than anything else I've found, as it explains the logic and pattern behind the shifts in perspective that authors so often employ in order to make their points more convincingly.

Fully recommended. Indispensable.

I was introduced to this book in a pedagogy seminar during gradschool. I've since recommended it to 7th grade teachers, assigned it in my college composition class, and I keep it open on the desk when I work on my own research. In an age of overwhelming access to source material and "answers" this is the book that helps students filter the content into something worth reading. The templates are logical and help students think about framing arguments in the context of academic (and internet) discourse and information. The section on "hit and run quoting" is particularly helpful with students who are stuck at Mr. Smith states, "Insert quote..." and need to move beyond that to agreeing or disagreeing, quoting sarcastically, etc.

Book was in brand-new condition and promptly delivered.

Graff and Birkenstein have written the best book about academic writing I've read. Its
strategies, or moves, extend way beyond the purely academic to all kinds of non-fiction writing and have been put to rigorous classroom tests both by the authors and by many of their peers. They Say/I Say is also a pleasure to read: Graff and Birkenstein practice the very writing lessons they're advocating, so that the book becomes a testimonial to itself, and to the wisdom of its own teachings. Even the interior design of They Say/I Say is pleasing and helps to convey the book's message.

As an eleventh grader in high school this book has helped me develop my writing for both the AP Language and Composition Exam and for the essay portion of the SAT exam. It is captivating,concise, and most important: easy to read.

This book is great. We use it in my AP Literature Class in High School and you can tell everyone's writing skills are improving. It's a great way to show people there are differnt styles of expressing yourself. Whether it's writing a 100 page persuasive essay or a short little speech to give to your local community, this book is a great asset to anyone's life.

As an eleventh grader in high school this book has helped me develop my writing for both the AP Language and Composition Exam and for the essay portion of the SAT exam. It is captivating,concise, and most important: easy to read.

I was really pleased when my university began using this text in its beginning composition classes since I assumed it was based on the years of experience that applied linguists have had in using genre analysis, moves, "templates" [scripts and frames] and other approaches that have influenced ESL/EFL and especially English for Specific Purposes (ESP) texts. I was quite surprised when I realized that the authors seem to have done no research in an already existing field as they wrote this text.

Now, this text, a good first attempt, is useful and serves a purpose; however, had the authors done their homework, they would have benefitted from the extensive work of others in this field (cf. John Swales or V. K. Bhatia) at both the theoretical and practical level.

Nor did it use any of the work on collocations from the existing corpus linguistics work that would have made the book much stronger.

Because this was a first attempt, the text lectures too much and provides fairly weak exercises. Fortunately, a good teacher can create his/her own exercises based on the good information the authors provide.

In spite of that weaknesses of the text, I want to thank the authors for ntroducing these important ideas and techniques to the larger composition community.

I received this book too late to use it for my persuasive writing class. While I had moderate success with my other book, Everything's an Argument, I would certainly use this book if I had to do it all over again.

They Say/I Say is a short book with a simple premise -- it correctly states that no argument occurs in a vacuum, but must depend upon what others have to say about it. Moreover, the authors believe one of the principle difficulties which students have with persuasive writing is an inability to correctly utilize these necessary ingredients (introduce what others have to say on the subject, and then present their own voice on the matter). Though I am not a writing teacher, I have found this to be the case in my classes.

TSIS summarizes the important aspects of this conversation in persuasive writing and provides templates for students to summarize what others say, introduce their own points, and various other techniques. While one may think the use of such templates leads to formulaic writing, the authors suggest that the opposite is the case. By understanding the way to shape their ideas, students can learn to better express their orginal thoughts, thus making their writing more individual.

While I am inclined to agree, TSIS is not perfect. It certainly cannot be used as a thorough textbook on all persuasive writing, nor am I completely convinced that the exercises provided in the book are the most effective at using the templates in student writing. If teachers can get students to incorporate the ideas of TSIS into student's writing, however, they will accomplish much. Check it out for yourself.