When asked what is better, being street smart or book smart, what would you choose? You don't really need to look them up in the Urban Dictionary to know that a person with street smarts is a person with strong common sense, one who knows what's going on in the world, and one who knows how to handle different situations. On the other hand, a person with book intelligence is defined as a person who excels in academia, but not when it comes to common sense or reality. In “Hidden Intellectualism,” by Gerald Graff, author of They Say I Say and professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he makes many different points about the two. With his many distinctive arguments throughout the reading, I agree with Graff when he shows us that, yes, street smarts are favored, but fundamentally, incorporating street and book smarts together will have the best outcome. Gerald Graff recounts his experience as a younger child growing up in his neighborhood (200). He shares how he and his friends had to find common ground between being strong (street smart) and being smart (book smart). Graff explains that he needed to find this balance between the two not only to fit in, but also because he still wanted to do well in school. He goes on to explain how being smart outside of school actually taught him more than what he learned in school. Graff expands on this idea when he states, "I began to learn the rudiments of intellectual life: how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the opinions of others, and start a conversation about ideas." (201 ). Through Graffs' experience he concluded that students these days might learn something or... middle of paper...tattoos in subjects like History, Science or English, but in the end it might be worth it. Overall Graff showed us that there are many different aspects and sides to being smart and booking smart. He makes very broad arguments in which he concludes that street smarts in many ways can benefit more than book smarts, but also that combining the two might ultimately be the best culmination. In everything I have learned over the years in school, life experiences, and others around me, I believe that you can reach your highest potential by drawing not only on street smarts, but also by applying street smarts. books. Works CitedGraff, Gerald. “Hidden intellectualism”. They say, I say. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein. New York: W. W. Norton, 2009. 198-205. Print.Tobias, Christopher. Personal interview. September 15th. 2011.