Writing an essay is a common task for many students and it requires following a particular structure and style to clearly convey ideas. There are several books that provide guidance on how to write effective essays. This article discusses key things covered in three highly rated books on essay writing and how they can help students improve their skills.
On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld (approx. 256 pages)
This book aims to help high school students craft compelling application essays to stand out in the college admissions process. Bauld, who has extensive experience advising applicants, provides an overview of the types of essays required by different colleges and universities. He stresses the importance of highlighting unique qualities, interests, and experiences rather than generic details. Specific chapters delve into choosing thought-provoking essay topics, effective storytelling techniques, drafting and editing strategies, and common pitfalls to avoid.
Bauld emphasizes showing curiosity, enthusiasm and passion through personal narratives rather than regurgitating generic platitudes. He advises focusing on a few defining moments or interests that shaped the applicant rather than trying to list everything. Examples of both strong and weak essays are included to illustrate these principles. The book is highly practical, walking through the writing process step-by-step and providing prompts to help generate ideas. Editing checklists are also provided. Overall, it equips students with essential skills for crafting memorable application essays.
They Say / I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (approx. 288 pages)
This popular book aims to teach core skills for analyzing arguments and incorporating sources into academic writing. It focuses on recognizing patterns in how ideas are presented and countered in scholarly works. The authors explain that essays involve entering into an ongoing academic conversation by evaluating what other scholars “say” and positioning one’s own perspective on the issue. Specific strategies are outlined for introducing and responding to quoted material effectively using set phrases like “they say,” “as X argues,” or “Another view holds.”
Sample student essays from various disciplines are annotated to point out ways common templates can strengthen writing. Examples demonstrate how to summarize different viewpoints fairly before respectfully agreeing, disagreeing or pushing an analysis further. Checklists are also included to help self-assess drafts. While aimed primarily at undergraduate-level work, the techniques taught for building cohesion, signaling relationships between sources and crafting a critical stance are applicable for many essay types. This book helps demystify academic writing expectations.
Writing Analytical Essays by Ken Macrorie (approx. 240 pages)
With a journalistic style, this 1988 book focuses on crafting informative, non-fiction essays using a topic-based structure. It advocates selecting a limited focus for each paper rather than presenting broad sweeping topics. Specific techniques are outlined for gathering ideas from observations, developing guiding questions to frame the central point, zooming in on significant details through free-writing exercises, and crafting openings that invite readership.
An action-oriented approach is emphasized, advising writers to actively seek engagement with topics through experiments, interviews and fieldwork rather than passive research alone. Sample student essays demonstrate zooming out to broader implications and conclusions supported by facts and examples. Editing for concision and impact is also stressed.
While some journalistic references may seem dated, the core message of focusing analyses through active inquiry remains relevant. Concepts like developing “I wonder” questions to drive exploration of complex issues and focusing on insights over sweeping summaries provide practical models adaptable to different genres. Guidance on transforming notes into cohesive structures is applicable for many types of analytical essays.
All three books present time-tested techniques that remain effective for non-fiction essay writing across disciplines. They Say / I Say is especially useful for incorporating research at university level while On Writing the College Application Essay and Writing Analytical Essays provide practical models beneficial for high school and lower division college essays. Students at any level can apply principles from these carefully-explained books to strengthen core skills of developing clear theses, crafting coherent narratives, engaging critically with sources and refining self-expression through writing. Learning the building blocks of strong essays equipped many generations and remains highly recommended for students seeking to improve as communicators of ideas.