Ideas & Details: A Guide to College Writing Book

Okay, I'll confess that I didn't finish reading this book, because it was so repetitive that I just couldn't handle it any more. But I certainly got the gist -- one couldn't avoid getting the gist, given that repetition -- and it's a fine one. Macrorie was important in 1988 (when this was published) for saying that the researcher him or herself matters and that we should investigate things we are invested in. Totally with him there. But I differ with him in that he's apparently happy to get poorly written and boring essays from his students, at least according to the student samples he includes. Let's take this idea of student choice and personal investment in research and then show the students how to craft well-written essays!