With Thank You For Arguing, Jay Heinrichs demonstrates the awesome power of rhetoric. Using the basic tools of rhetoric can allow you to argue persuasively and keep your opponent satisfied with your argument. Even if you don’t think you need rhetoric in your life, you might find that you will try to get your way regardless. The author attempted to have an entire day go by without him using his rhetorical skill at all. It didn’t go too well.

So it covers all the basics; logos, ethos, pathos, chiasmus, and so on. The book has a ton of chapters for something so short, but it does focus on some significant key ideas. Most of these ideas and keywords are put aside in boxes to allow for easy access to them.

Initially, tons of people were fans of rhetoric. All of the founding fathers of the United States were familiar with it and used it to great effect. However, over the years it simply fell out of favor with educators. The classics were shunted aside and ignored in favor of things that ‘mattered.’ In any case, Heinrichs makes a strong case for rhetoric and bringing it back into the forefront of our learning.

The book is divided into 5 major sections with the introduction being a bit too short to call a section. So these sections are Offense, Defense, Advanced Offense, Advanced Agreement, and Appendices. Making use of these tools in the right situations are necessary to deal with arguments and other things that can come up out of being in society.

The information contained within this book is interesting and practical. Now you may never use all of the techniques in this book, the author even hopes that you might never have to, but knowing is half the battle. Therefore, I give this one a 5 out of 5 since it was interesting, useful, and entertaining. ( )

I tried. I really, really tried. I requested this book because I wanted to read it, thinking I'd learn something about the art of debate and the psychology of persuasion. I learned things, but nothing I care to retain.

Within the first few pages of this book, I learned that the author is - or writes as if he is - incredibly arrogant. Honestly. The first several chapters are nothing but self-aggrandizing rhetoric. The arrogance bled off the pages, frustrating and irritating me. I put the book down and, frankly, forgot about it. Occasionally, I'd notice it sitting there on the shelf, and I'd remind myself that I had to finish it. Then I'd forget again. Deliberately. Maybe wishing it would disappear.

Now it's almost five months later, and I decide I need to get on with it. I tell myself that maybe it gets better. And so I pick it up and get back to reading.

What I get is this: Sarcasm. More arrogance. Bragging. The art of debate and persuasion is really about becoming a master manipulator of people's emotions and all facts. I learned to use facts that are useful and ignore those that aren't (selective research?). I learned that if facts are not working for me, I should redefine the terms (fake news?). I learned that I really, really, don't like this book.

Nothing in these pages teaches us how to participate in a well-reasoned, informed argument. At least nothing I found. I confess to skimming the content. I couldn't subject myself to the totality of arrogance and self-importance within the pages.

If you want to learn how to manipulate people, then by all means read this book. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Blogging for Books, in exchange for my honest review.* ( )