This is a great entry-level book for college intro writing or upper class High school students. It follows the logic of all previous writing experience and condenses it into two easy to understand concepts. "They say", and "I say". The they say portion teaches student to look at all sources of available information in order to learn what others have to say about their chosen writing topic. Academic sources, opinions, interviews, and blog posts all contribute to what the other side, or “They” say about an issue. Then the book guides students into what they feel is the best argument or side they want to take. It allows young writers to explore the mechanics of composition in two easy to process steps: What others say, and what they personally feel. This book takes the assumption that writers already have some compositional background, so they do not cover the basics of writing. The book is very short and to the point about how introductions to writing should be handled. I would definitely recommend this book for students who have not had much professional, or educational writing experience. The thought process may be a little difficult for younger students to grasp or fully understand, which is why it is important to have a thorough understanding of the fundamentals before writing academically. Overall I was quite impressed with this book. I would only give it 4 stars because it makes many assumptions about what the audience already has experience with in terms of composition. Other than that it is a solid foundation to further academic or professional writing.

This is the book my class used for Eng101. My teacher told us how great the book was, but I've heard that before and I was skeptical. After getting through the class, I can honestly say that this has been one of my favorite textbooks so far. It helps you learn how to properly organize your work, and it also help you develop your points in a way that flows well. I would recommend this book to ANY Eng101 student, even if it's not the assigned book. You will thank me later.