Rating: 
Summary: Book is Mostly a Political Rant
Review: The premise of this book matches an observation I had come up with on my own -- that intelligent debate, or just letting people be has been replaced on a cultural level with persistent and ubiquitous climate of belligerant and puerile namecalling. Thus when I heard about this book I was really excited and wanted to learn all abut Ms. Tannen's insights and thoughts on this matter.
I was sorely disappointed. This book is not what it purports to be.
Most of the book is a longwinded rant about how Republicans are evil and must be stopped, unlike the Democrats who are as pure as the snow.
Among Ms. Tannen's various swipes, she lashes out at people who oppose abortion as hateful rights-stealers, people who question whether there is a scientific basis for abortion as ignorant doofuses, etc etc. It just goes on and on.
If you are looking to read a book by a leftist who hates the right with a passion, this is the book for you.
If you are looking for an intelligent and thoughtful analysis of the problem of antagonistic debate, this book does not provide it.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful and thoughtful but slightly disjointed
Review: This book is quite readable but not perfect. Ms. Tannen jumps from topic to topic in short spurts, sometimes with little connection. Overall, though, this is a book that should make most people stop and think. Tannen says that we tend to frame too many things in terms of "both sides" even when there are possibly many more than two opposing possible ways of viewing a situation or idea. Even our educational system is framed in an adversarial manner, with debate and criticism being thought more intelligent than synthesis and agreement. In the last section of the book, she provides some ideas for practicing a less adversarial style: instead of having two "opposing" panelists or debaters on every talk show or in every classroom, have three or more people, to make it clear that there are not just the two extremes. If people try and make you declare yourself in one of two "warring camps," refuse to allow yourself to be shoveled into an all-or-nothing point of view.I think this book should be on the required-reading list for dispute-resolution courses and training - and for lawyers!!
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