An insightful and inspiring text for anyone who wants to write or, indeed, loves to read. Nicholas Delbanco has plenty to offer whether you are interested in the encoding, or the decoding, of ideas.

With many thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for letting me see a copy of this title.

A bit disappointing. I did not find this very inspiring at all. I have read much better books on writing.

"Why Writing Matters... is intended both as explanation and an exhortation; the next time you pick up a pencil or pen—or turn on your cellphone or iPad—remember you join in a long-standing practice and a time-honored tradition."

Reading this book is like taking this professor's class--decades of personal experience woven into wide-ranging readings in literature, history, and archaeology. The author had the advantages of a mid-twentieth-century education in prep schools and the Ivy League, followed by a charmed career teaching and writing, but he is happy to share the treasures he learned by being John Updike's student and a friend of John Gardner and James Baldwin, among many other interesting connections. I found myself adding many new names to my to-read list as I read, and feeling more inspired to write.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

I decided to read this because I am currently studying an MA in Creative Writing and Well-being. So, I have my own ideas about how writing matters, particularly with regards to therapy and I thought it would be interesting to hear from an expert in the craft. This is mainly memoir, with added analysis across all writing genres and a little bit of literary history thrown in. I felt it focused a lot on our inspiration from other writers. How much is Influence and when does it become imitation. How do we balance the simultaneous needs for originality and the tendency to emulate a favourite writer?
I liked the focus on how our impressions of a piece of writing changes over time as this is something I’ve explored myself with regards to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Our age and life experience changes the meaning of our understand of certain parts of the text. There is also an exploration of how writing becomes so important when compared with oral storytelling - an oral piece is changed both deliberately and accidentally by the teller, it is ever evolving. Writing however has a permanence which possibly explains budding writers fear of putting pen to paper - this will remain, as written, for ever. In light of the current political scene I also enjoyed his look at political rhetoric and the blurring of the permanence of words as things are said then denied again.
All in all this was an enjoyable read, that seemed to confirm a lot of ideas I already had, rather than inspiring new thinking.

This is a really enjoyable introduction to the importance of writing to the modern world. More a literary memoir at places than an out and out the history of writing as is promised. Where analysis and learnings from Delblanco's own course experience were offered, I felt that this could have been better presented.

This book was not quite as accessible as I was expecting - I think it is a book that I will return to once I have a better understanding of myself as a writer. I think it is an important book and it is full of interesting anecdotes and advice. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC.

What a loss for our culture had Nicholas Delbanco not shared this hefty tome Why Writing Matters.This work demands to be read in short stretches and then savored, as it is filled with Delbanco’s years of experience and knowledge of writers and writing. Part memoir, part history, the work is reminiscent of the prose of classical writers. This treasure of and on writing tells us that here we hold the basis of culture and even civilization.

In Why Writing Matters Nicholas DelBanco draws on his experience as a writer and professor of English language to create something that is part memoir, part a masterclass in writing technique.

At first, I felt the book was little more than a namedropping exercise until the point where DelBanco began an extended discussion of the difference between imitation and downright plagiarism.

He not only illustrated this by using some real-life examples as case studies, but then expanded the discussion into some fascinating writing exercises he had set his own students on rewriting a particular chapter of an author’s work in the style of another author. This was not so much a case of mimicry as drawing on writing that resonated with the practitioner to develop their craft further. That he uses actual examples from students who went on to be authors in their own right provides some intriguing insights into style and tone and how they can really change the way a piece of writing expresses itself to the reader.

The whole book really asks the writer to stand back from their writing and look at it from a whole new perspective. The examples that are used as writing exercises are extremely useful and highly relevant and really do make you think.

Why Writing Matters is not a book for someone without previous writing experience, because it requires some understanding of the craft to really appreciate what DelBanco is conveying in terms of developing a more thoughtful and nuanced writing process.

However, anyone who really enjoys reading and reads extensively will find this book very interesting because understanding the techniques underpinning the writing within them will increase their pleasure of a well written book.

What really impressed me was that DelBanco was prepared to share his struggles over a first draft of something which never saw the light of day with regards to publishing. We are even treated to his attempts at a rewrite, which again did not make the grade. But in doing so he demonstrates how much there is to be learned and gained as a practitioner by these unsuccessful attempts, which should not be seen as a failure, but the honing of a skill. That someone of his depth of experience should need to wrestle with words and continually strive to perfect his use of them, is also a very helpful and reassuring perspective for any writer.

There is plenty in Why Writing Matters for a writer and reader to think about, and it is a book that will continue to give in terms of enjoyment and wisdom even after many times of reading.

Why Writing Matters was courtesy of Yale University Press.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed... I wish this book was titled "Why Writing Matters NOW" and included more diverse and current examples. I admire the writers that Delbanco referenced - Hemmingway, Woolf, Joyce, et al, but had hoped this book would address how current writers, from a diversity of backgrounds, are building and expanding on their work now.

I love reading about writing, but this book didn't quite grab me as much as I wanted. It was a bit dull in all honesty...

Not what I was expecting from the title - and that disappointment perhaps affected my reaction to the book. I'm afraid I disliked the tone and was unable to finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Although dressed with a very compelling title, Why Writing Matters failed to grasp my attention. The essence of the book wasn't bad at all. But the execution was severely lacking, in that it was unnecessarily complicated, with a hindered flow and thoughts going rapidly from one point to another.

The author put together an excellent love story to writing. I love how he provided insight from not only his mentors, but those up and coming writers that he taught. This book emphasizes on why writing is so essential to our society.

Writing, of course, matters. However, Why Writing Matters, doesn’t. At least not to those looking for a writing guidebook.

This book is half memoir and half a literary history lesson. It has a few interesting ideas. But many of the ideas are obvious. Reading your favorite books later in life will give you a new perspective? Duh.

I realize that this book is part of a series of Why x Matters. However, the title here feels misleading. Therefore, Why Writing Matters receives 2 stars from me.

Thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I approached Why Writing Matters as a memoir of someone whose work I've admired over the decades, but I found something a bit different, something MORE.

The book, rich with musings about the why of writing, offers even more about the how. It's a kind of master pattern for a self-taught writer (here I imagine a person who is isolated geographically, or economically, or by gender, from the company of other writers, and from the camaraderie and inspiration they offer.)

I loved the many anecdotes about his own teachers and his students (in particular the struggles of Jesmyn Ward, whose work reads - of course - as if it were effortless.) I can see my imaginary recluse chasing down every one of DelBanco's references, from Greek tragedy through the Metaphysical Poets to the white-male-academic-centered novels of 20th-Century renown.

I loved his Strategies in Prose syllabus, with its seemingly endless supply of writing exercises, and with his revision and further revision and yet-further revision of his own long-abandoned novel Blumenberg the Elder.

I wish I could have read Why Writing Matters 50 years ago. Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an advance readers copy.

Based on the title, I was interested in reading this, but it was not what I was expected. I was hoping for more of a "how-to" but the information was too dry for me to be engaged in it. I had a friend read it and love it though!

It is a generally well written book, however, I found it trivia and does not match the title "Why Writing Matters". I like when the author explains about mimicking, imitation in writing, fine text and so on, however, starting the book with "teachers" did fail me as a reader to illustrate or simply try to answer the question raised in the title. They are plenty of books and authors mentioned, such as Updike, James Baldwin etc., but again, the text and the flow does not appeal to me.

At this time, this is not the book for me. I would say that the way the book presented its ideas does not resonate with me yet.

Nevertheless, some people may enjoy it and I would be happy happy for them.

I found this book over-complicated. I had high hopes and expectations, and was looking forward to reading it, but it started off so slowly that I was not engaged with the content. I am a MA Creative Writing student, but I still didn’t enjoy the book or benefit from it. There was some useful content though, which could have been better presented.

Writing - the art, craft, mechanics, necessity, satisfaction, and relevance - are brilliantly explored in Why Writing Matters by Nicholas Delbanco. He says it best early on, "It’s one of the ways we preserve our shared culture, a signal to the future and a record of the past."

While writing feels timeless and universal today, Delbanco reminds us that it wasn't always this way, as the possession of books and the ability to read were once reserved for the privileged class. The privilege is now classless.

Page by page the reader is taken on a narrative journey that weaves in characters such as John Updike and John Gardner, as well as James Baldwin, from whom he learned that prose "must stand in the service of faith: a faith that writing, in times of trouble, might count." Sage wisdom for our current state of global discontent.

We're also treated to a glimpse into Nicholas Delbanco's rich and varied personal experiences and relationships within the writing and publishing world - a charmed life to be sure - and hear his take on the nature of imitation as a powerful (and necessary) learning tool. Something to leverage, not avoid.

Numerous examples exemplify the sorcery of word choice, heir order, and requisite punctuation - the art and mechanics of prose which can clarify meaning or miss the mark entirely.

The literary juxtaposition of communism (Karl Marx), slavery (Harriet Beecher Stowe) and evolution (Charles Darwin) underscore how writing can challenge and enhance our view of what it means to be human. We see the world differently when uncommon perspectives are thoughtfully expressed.

Without question, Why Writing Matters serves up an insightful and reflective regalement that every writer, and reader for that matter, will enjoy.