Overall, I really liked this book!!!! It's hard to criticize this book as a whole, since there is a new author and new concept every chapter. I thought I would share what some authors did really well and what others lacked.
I really liked the approach Jason Sheehan took in his chapter, There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue. His whole chapter is about barbecue. Yes, barbecue. Sheehan literally wrote, "I believe in barbecue" (217). You must think he is out of his mind, but I think it's genius. It grabs your attention because you want to know why he believes in barbecue of all things.
Frederic Reamer uses a different technique to draw readers in. He uses a personal story (like our creative non-fiction) and appeals to our emotions. Reamer's opening two sentences are, "Last Tuesday morning I stared across the table at a woman with severe scars lining her otherwise gentle face. Her raging husband carved those scars and sliced off her ear when she told him she wanted a divorce" (188). The reader instantly feels sorry for the woman and develops anger towards the husband.
While some authors had attention grabbing introductions, others lacked that. Mark Shields starts his chapter by saying, "I believe in politics" (220). He has already lost half of our attentions. The rest of the chapter couldn't sustain my attention either. Shields does not include a personal story and just talks about the skills of politicians.... Yawn.
I would recommend this book to people who would give it a chance. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is younger than 14. I hope some of you will give it a try!
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