Writing To Persuade by Trish Hall

WRITING TO PERSUADE by Trish Hall, former editor of the New York Times Op-Ed page, explores “How to Bring People Over to Your Side.” In doing so, she shares anecdotes from her career and specific recommendations, especially about building empathy. Noting her desire to pass on what she has learned about writing and editing, Hall says, “be assured that using these methods, which require artistry, technique, and an understanding of human psychology, will increase your odds of success [in persuading someone to see your point of view].” Hall dedicated this work to her teachers and I believe that our teachers and students will benefit from reading this book and the other writing texts she mentions: Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, Zinsser’s On Writing Well, McPhee’s Draft No. 4, and Lamott’s Bird by Bird.  

WRITING TO PERSUADE is meant to be consulted frequently: it includes bolded sub-points and a helpful index. Plus, Hall uses the graphic of a conversation bubble to highlight key points (like lists of publications that liberals or conservatives should read/watch to better understand the other viewpoint). Even a short excerpt like the Preface, which lists and briefly explains Fifteen Principles of Persuasive Writing, will be valuable. One point I wish more students appreciated? “To write well, read omnivorously.” WRITING TO PERSUADE received a starred review from Library Journal.