Pros and Cons: A Debater's Handbook, 18th. Edition

Time is a precious commodity. Sadly, I wasted a lot of time getting together resources for my debate team. Our High School was not new to debate, but I was. Eventually, I stumbled across this work, and I must rank this as the number one resource any debate couch must have for the practice of debate.

This resource has allowed me to have many debate practices. The resource while not written for Canadians, is very, very easily adapted to our concerns.

The pre-research that has been done for typical debate topics saves any debate coach an incredible amount of time. It can make you the expert on a tremendous number of varied debate topics. It also has several extensions or ancillary debates too.

As well, using the information from this book, I have tried giving the information beforehand to my debaters on a particular debate topic, and with this common background information, have run practices which focus on the rhetoric alone. My students have experienced very good development in this way.

The book is fantastic, and after such a short period of time, well thumbed. I may need to search out a hardcover version.

During my years as a competitive debater, I found Pros and Cons to be a very useful resource. The book clearly and effectively lays out the main arguments for and against a variety of debate resolutions, making the task of building a solid case much easier. I would recommend it as a handy resource for any student who seeks to excel at debate.

-Alim Merali, author of Talk the Talk: Speech and Debate Made Easy

Possibly the best available guide when you start getting acquainted with debating societies.

This book surely deserves 5 stars and it's just as wonderful as I heard. I read it on a daily basis to prepare for writing tests.

Perfect for high school or University debaters for quick arguments!