Using books effectively

While reading online articles can be an easily accessible way to learn about the topic quickly, they often offer surface level analysis that merely summarizes the author’s published work. Consequently, reading online often leaves you without a deeper level of analysis. The author behind that excellent op-ed you cite in your affirmative case, for instance, most likely writes more deeply on that topic in their book.

Debaters of any level can benefit from reading books, and doing so can help you improve at every step of the debate. Well-read debaters give the best logical responses in rebuttal, often get the better of their less informed opponent in crossfire, and write arguments that are more strategic and more compelling, because they are based in expert analysis. Few articles can match the depth that books provide, especially when focusing on a particular aspect of a resolution.

This is perhaps the most common reason why books are so under-utilized in public forum. When topics are so specific, it is difficult to know what literature will or won’t be applicable. It is a time-consuming endeavor to read a whole book, and most busy high school debaters simply don’t have the time on their hands to do so if the subject matter may not even be relevant. For many, reading books becomes financially prohibitive, because you must purchase three, four, or five books to ensure you get one or two pages of relevant content.

Focus Debate was founded to address this problem. For each topic, we send you two of the most useful, relevant books on the topic, written by the top experts in the field. Each month’s package also includes materials meant to make the above tips easy for you: two accompanying “Context Guides,” designed to direct your attention to the most helpful part of the sources, and an Expert Additional Reading List. We hope this can improve depth in the debates you'll have throughout the year.