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To: Robert Teesdale

I haven’t read any of the other posts so as to give you my straight up uninfluenced opinion.

It is well written and in a subject I am highly interested in, but I found myself skipping sentences. I found it too dry to hold my concentration and my mind was seeking sentences with more life in them as a brain break. I think if you were to write this as a column sized essay (obviously without talking about the rest of a book), people would know it was short and could then focus on each of your intelligent and well written but somewhat heavy sentences.

But as the intro to a book, even if I saw it in a store and wanted to have it, I’d be hard pressed at home to pick it up.

Look at Mark Steyn’s work. He can get in quite complex construction and topics as well, but his humor makes him a JOY to read. I know a lot of us read extremely fluently out here in book buyer land, but we still want it to be fun. No one goes for a run in an underground tunnel when they can choose a road with nice scenery.

I think your book no doubt — your point, as well as your strength in writing and precision of concept — would be well received if you edited for a bit more fun. Put in some small sentences that have a bite to them like celery. Find absurdities and humor, even somewhat ironic or sarcastic (all the humor you can sometimes find in a sad political situation!) if need be, and very sparsely sprinkle it in. Do not attempt to be actually FUNNY like Mark Steyn because he is a born entertainer and most people could not pull it off.

I liked it. Just needed more places to rest and satisfy my reading eye in there.


15 posted on 09/17/2012 10:08:26 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle

Thanks, this does crystallize my own initial “dislikes” into a good voice of the consumer. Really helpful!


17 posted on 09/17/2012 10:12:22 AM PDT by Robert Teesdale
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