I'm currently taking Expository Writing classes at Harvard, and this is a textbook for a course. Needless to say, this book is a must: not only for its lasting teachings and thin length (in comparison to 900-page books required in different classes), but also for the templates that can really get a student going! However, I don't think this book is for those who want to learn how to "say" something, specifically. This book is for students who know what they want to say but don't have the "moves" to. Of course, some may object that one thing leads to the other, but the point I want to make is that if you don't have opinions about an issue, this book will not primarily teach you how to think about it, but it will surely do so as a consequence of knowing the moves necessary to get you going (in case, you have anything to say). The chapter on meta commentary was an unexpected surprise, as well as the the appendix on "Entering classroom discussions." I feel more confident not only to enter the discussions in class or on paper, but also to keep coming back to this book because its teachings are truly precious.

I bought this iBook instead of the hard copy for my college composition class and have found it to be a major hassle. There are complete sections and passages missing, the page numbers are totally different and in some parts the iBook has a completely different text than the hard copy. I would recommend buying the hard copy instead to avoid the many problems you will encounter.