Rating: 
Summary: Silly title - great book!
Review: Books with grandiose titles like this usually keep me from reading them (Hello publisher's marketing department!). A friend of mine recommended that I read this book, and I was glad that I did.yes, many of Spence's political views (along with my own) are left of center. But it's the PROCESS that this book is all about. I re-read this book a number of time. This book has helped me to become a better therapist (in fact, this is a book that I recommend in my workshops on using metaphor in psychotherapy). If you are a Jungian or otherwise interested in stories and narratives, this book is a good read. We are all, in Spence's words, people of the story. All humans love stories, so it only makes sense to incorporate stories into our arguments and discussions (and therapy sessions and legal debates and....) As I've said, I have re-read this book many times. I particularly enjoy the section on "the power of story" (chp 8?), the section on intuitive speaking and the importance of preparation, and the section on speaking and using your voice.
Rating: 
Summary: Long and Tiring
Review: Although this book made some valid points and had some good info, I felt as though it was long winded and circumlocutory. So-so book that could been written in 100 pages instead of 300.
Rating:
Summary: How to Argue and Win Everytime: a revisit
Review: I read Gerry Spence's book and applaud his fine work. This book is not just about arguing and winning, it is also about the "how." How to argue and win. In some unusual and perhaps strange way after reading Mr. Spence's book I felt a more gentle and non-aggressive stance was necessary. Mr. Spence's refers to the heart zone as this place where we as humans feel who we are (this is what I understood to mean). I would recommend this book for anyone, I do mean anyone, who is interested in arguing and non-arguing alike. It may seem at first a contradiction. But it is a book to enlighten thought and different ways to approach an arugment. We, unfortunately, are led to believe that all arguments have to be vocal, aggressive, confrontational, and who is stronger than who. I did not find this, thankful to that, in Mr. Spence's book. In reading the book I was taken on a journey, an evolving one, to a better understanding of what an argument is and how to approach it. I do recommend this book to a wider audience. I also should caution the reader who is in search of an aggressive argument in quote, "how can you understand your argument if you don't understand the other party's argument?"
Rating: 
Summary: Good advice wrapped in layers of hubristic anecdotes
Review: Spence emphasizes and reemphasizes the power of sincere, anecdotal rhetoric. In fact, that's the point of the book, and the rest is sincere, anecdotal rhetoric. Spence tells stories bashing capitalism (the same system that made him a multi-millionaire and published author) and touting tree-hugging environmentalism (where do they get the paper for your books, Mr. Spence???). While he piously separates himself from these social plagues, he quietly admits he has represented bankers and capitalists. It's as if his beliefs and worldview can change from client to client. The biggest problem with Spence's position is he concludes that everything legal is morally right. For instance, he boasts of helping acquit murderers because "[I] don't take my clients into a confessional booth and ask them if they're guilty." His clients, he indignantly reminds us, have a constitutional right to assumed innocence before being proved guilty. One client brutally murdered in front of several witnesses, but the jurors simply didn't understand the man's background. Being misunderstood is basis for acquittal? If he helps murderers escape justice through his mind-numbing, endless oratory, it was legal and therefore morally right. It's as if he's saying the system works so flawlessly that only truly guilty people will be convicted. Luckily for him, it seems he's only represented innocent people. Read it for some good advice and plenty of haughty left-of-center browbeating.
Rating:
Summary: Ah, the arguement
Review: I (as I'm sure most of you...) have had several bosses over the years that are to say the least overbearing and antagonistic. The reason I picked up this book was to keep myself from feeling run over after speaking with these types of people. I ran through this book quickly hoping to grab some loose points and apply the principles right away. Little did I know that the art of the argument takes time to develop. I have read this book some 5 times since that first reading and gain greater insight each time. I now feel like I will come out on the high side of any conversation. While this is just one book on the journey, it is a great place to start, or even finish.
Rating: 
Summary: Giving spirit to a tired argument
Review: I'm a closing lawyer for a mock trial team, and I was pretty good before I read this book. My statements would get high marks consistantly, but somehow lacked the magic of winning argument. My statements were a laundry list of witnesses and testimony with an analogy and some sort of personal appeal, just like the standard intro, 3 body and conclusion essay. Dull and done. After reading this book, I began developing a closing statement more based on inspiration than formula. My closings began capturing the essence of what I saw in a case and appealing to the jury as a box full of people, not merely as a box. For those of you who are not lawyers in any way, this book contains fascinating insights on how we relate to others. Within the first 3 or 4 pages, I was nodding my head and thinking to myself "Yes, tell it like it is!" Gerry Spence is a fabulous trial lawyer and a deep thinker, and I reccommend this book whole-heartedly.
It's also the book that got me back into the habit of reading every night. Before I would just crash into bed exhausted every night, but this book reminded me of the value of setting aside some reading time, and I think I am a happier and wiser person for it. (Who says you have to be sadder to be wiser?)
Rating:
Summary: How To Argue and Win Every Time
Review: This is absolutely an outstanding book. This book not only teaches you all the techniques and the methods of delivering a successful arguments whether in its written form or verbal communication but also most importantly motivates you to be a real person, and a real human being. It encourages you to face your fears for ultimate victory. It opens the eyes of your soul to the power of honesty and truth as a main ingredient of successful arguments and communication. It gives you the power to discover your unique self for delivering a unique and a winning arguments everywhere, every day and in any form.
Rating:
Summary: review from Michigan reader
Review: While I really like Gerry Spence and when he's on tv, I like to
listen to every word he says, because I think he is a fascinating
intelligent talker, has an interesting friendly personality and
I love that jacket he always wears. While looking at this book
in the library, I just couldn't get interested in it, I don't
like his book writing style and couldn't get myself to want to
read the book in spite of how much I like the guy.
Rating: 
Summary: Political Views of Gerry Spence
Review: I was extremely disappointed in this book. It does go over the basics of preparing for an argument (pages 202-204). The other 289 pages seemed like an oversized sales pamplet for Green Peace. The writing struck me like a bad used car salesman desperate for a sale.
Rating:
Summary: Win! But first make sure what you are winning/losing.
Review: This was an excellent book on argumentation skills. However, first you have to define what it is to win. What do you want to get from the argument and what are you willing to risk to get that? Through several examples he works out how to win by losing, how to win by empowering others, how to win by redirecting the prejudice of others or using that prejudice to your advantage, etc.
He spends a great deal of time discussing the importance of using stories to illustrate points and does a fine job of it. The book is filled with stories and experiences from his real life courtroom experiences and how his arguments affected the jury, sometimes in a manner that surprised him and sometimes in the manner he expected. Even when the results were a surprise he explains why, after thinking about it, the decision went the way it did.
The book is highly slanted toward the argument styles of a lawyer in front of a jury. However, it is useful to anyone in any potentially argumentative situation where a position has to be taken and defended. How to argue, how to win, when to argue, when to shut up, it all starts with deciding what it is to win and then moving to that point. It includes sections on arguing in the marriage and the workplace. The one about handling arguments in a relationship is a particularly interesting chapter.
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