Writing Analytically

I use the book as the only textbook in a college-level Rhetoric and Writing class. The book is honestly a revelation for most of my students, and it improves their writing and thinking exponentially.

The book does suffer from tone problems, and it is occasionally condescending. It does indeed relate to the reader as a teen/novice, but then again that is who the book is for. It is also not the book for those who need help with style, basic clarity or grammar. Writing Analytically is intended for just that: learning the craft of academic analysis.

I highly recommend it for any instructor who is struggling to help their students learn to think critically.


I had to use this book for AP English...   May 26, 2003
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

And let me say that it helped me a lot. My writing got better, and, more importantly, my reading comprehension got better. The "try this" exercises bring out the AWESOMENESS in you... as do the end of the chapter exercises. Not buying this book would be a mistake.


an excellent teaching tool   February 8, 2007
Blind_Fireworks (Washington, DC, USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I teach composition at a mid-sized Catholic university in the mid-Atlantic region, and this book has improved my students' writing by leaps and bounds in only a month. The topics are ordered in a way that makes more sense than many composition textbooks; Rosenwasser and Stephen start with reading strategies, and only get to the nuts and bolts of writing after laying out the steps for critical analysis. In other words, THINKING comes before WRITING - as it should. The examples drawn from student papers are very helpful, and the "Try This" exercises provide excellent and meaningful practice (my students grumble a bit about having to do all of them, but I can see the results in the vastly improved work that they turn in).


A great resource from two great professors!   October 16, 2003
Matthew J. Targarona (Towson, MD United States)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful

Rosenwasser and Stephen demonstrate that knowing how to write is knowing how to think. This is a resource I used throughout college and still use today.


Great Resource   April 6, 2008
Mr. Roger Sarkis
This writing guide is extensive and dense. Don't let that deter you. If you can get past its dense rhetoric, then this turns into a perfect guide for writing analytically. It's short and presents the information very candidly.