The Vocation of a Teacher : Rhetorical Occasions, 1967-1988

Rating:
Summary: a bolt from the blue
Review: How do I begin to describe the power of this book? I was at the Oulu library (Finland), spotted an attractive paperback whose title promised something more than light intellectual fare, and I proceeded to read the first page. I must have been there, standing in the middle of the library, absorbed, for something like 30 minutes solid before my wife (who'd been anxiously searching for me) tore me away me away from the most fulfilling "conversation" I've had in yonks. This happened to be my first and most formative encounter with Booth's delightful, witty and utterly engaging manner. I'll never forget it. The powerful insights coupled with a disarming style is one of the many features that has made Booth a favorite among my intellectual friends (in the form of books). Anyone who reads a single page of this fascinating book will recognize that he or she is in the presence of an accomplished rhetorician. It is a pleasure and an inspiration to "dialogue" with such a writer-thinker, deeply engaged as he is with a subject that he loves so passionately and shares so eloquently.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: Mr. Booth's book is exquisite--a thoughtful contemplation of what it means to teach English, how one teacher went about doing it, and his reflections on his successes and failures (not too many failures in here; would that we could all teach so well). I felt inspired after reading this book, just in time for the beginning of a new semester, and 50 new students!