I'm her debate with Katherine Peterson, what position does quindlen take? In her book How Reading Changed My Life

Abstract words and concepts are more likely to be confused than concrete words because often times, their meanings are more vague and expansive. Words like prejudice and equality have many smaller subtopics underneath them, making it harder to know what the speaker / writer means when they are using those very abstract words. Concrete words are more effective for a direct answer to the listener / reader because they have more straightforward meanings. There is no deliberation as to what is implied with the use of a concrete word, because really only has one main connotation. People have a more united understanding on concrete words than they do on abstract ones.