For college students learning how to write on scholarly subjects, writing and critical thinking go hand in hand. And yet most books on these topics are categorized separately: writing guides and critical thinking handbooks. This book is different, offering a manual for developing reading, writing, and thinking skills in tandem. With short, practical chapters, Thinking through Writing helps readers learn to think critically about themselves and the world at large, read carefully and get the necessary literary support, write clearly and persuasively, stay on point, and finish their work as cleanly and compellingly as possible. Drawing on years of teaching critical thinking and writing, including almost a decade of teaching Harvard’s freshman expository writing course, the authors invite readers to consider the intimate relationship between thinking and the creative, critical, self-actualizing act of writing.
• Interviews with some of the most interesting and brilliant writers working today
• Advice on how to structure an argument, write for an audience, work through writer’s block and anxiety, and much more
• Tips on how to make your writing unique and personal
• Exercises and templates to help novice writers reach their full potential in practice
John Kaag is the Donahue Professor of Ethics and the Arts at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Between 2010 and 2016, he was visiting assistant professor of writing at Harvard University. He is the author of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life (Princeton). Jonathan van Belle is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Aeon, Fast Company, Times Higher Education, and other publications. Kaag and van Belle are the coauthors of Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living (Princeton).
“One of the great strengths of the book is its knowledgeable-but-cheeky tone. It lends the authors enormous credibility when offering advice and solace and will help keep student readers on their toes rather than checking out of reading a dry textbook.” —Lisa Horton, University of Minnesota Duluth
“With a unique, lively, and contemporary approach, the authors of Thinking through Writing meet students where they are at both intellectually and personally, addressing them as partners and allies in the writing process.”—Douglas Dowland, Ohio Northern University
“Good writing involves ‘thinking against oneself’—questioning oneself—and this jargon-free, concise, witty book not only does an admirable job of showing the student-writer how to perform this magic trick but also vividly executes it page by page, line by line.”—David Shields, New York Times bestselling author of The Thing about Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead
“Writing is thinking, not just a record of your thoughts—and this book exemplifies that truth on every page. With bell-ringing clarity, Thinking through Writing shows how to sort your thoughts out into arguments, and how to support those arguments firmly and concisely. It's a true writer's companion, and a must-read for students who want to move from idea to page.”—Leonard Cassuto, author of Academic Writing as if Readers Matter
