A delightful, educative journey through some prickly regions of English grammar.
A grammar expert takes on vexing questions and pet peeves.
Jovin, the author of several books on writing and grammar, describes her experiences traveling across the country answering the public’s questions about language use. In 49 lively chapters, she recounts her conversations on punctuation, conjugation, spelling, pronunciation, and contentious word choices while offering sage and sensible advice on common areas of confusion. She writes about passersby who air their grievances about the misuse of apostrophes, and she offers jaunty but exceptionally clear illustrations of their appropriate deployment. Individual chapters cover some familiar problem areas—affect and effect, lie and lay, whoever and whomever—along with broader reflections on the evolution of verbal conventions in the digital age and the significance of a respect for language itself. The conversations that unfold on her tour are, she rightly observes, “filled with humor and feeling for the complex linguistic glue that binds us together as human beings and distinguishes us from other living creatures.” Jovin’s charm as an explainer of sometimes-esoteric rules and as a defender of common sense and clarity in communication is a major strength of this book. Another is her lighthearted but incisive commentary on people’s emotional investments in grammar. A large part of the book’s comedy comes from her descriptions of how disagreements about proper expression can pit people against one another, poisoning otherwise successful relationships. Many of the chapters describe people venting about others’ grammatical lapses, and Jovin positions herself, convincingly, as not just a linguistic, but an emotional counselor, fostering healthy communication rather than judgement. The invitation she poses in her introduction—“Now, please lie down on a nice couch with this book and let’s have some grammar therapy”—is well worth accepting.
A delightful, educative journey through some prickly regions of English grammar.Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-27815-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Mariner Books
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
Sharp criticism of an overlooked systemic problem in higher education.
A scholarly critique of the difficulties encountered by those who file formal complaints in the world of higher education.
In an era of Black Lives Matter, MeToo, and a host of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, you might think that there would be more transparency in dealing with charges of discrimination and harassment, particularly at the university level. Not so, writes Ahmed, an independent feminist scholar who left her post at a British university over its treatment of sexual harassment. “To be heard as complaining is not to be heard,” she writes. “To hear someone as complaining is an effective way of dismissing someone. You do not have to listen to the content of what she is saying if she is just complaining or always complaining.” The author, who has gained notoriety in academic circles for Living a Feminist Life (2017) and other books, presents a strong argument that power in higher education tends to protect itself, that diversity initiatives are often nothing more than window dressing, and that those who file complaints about a hostile work environment often face accusations of disloyalty or troublemaking. Charges of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, Ahmed argues, are similar from institution to institution and ubiquitous because the conditions that spark them don’t change. Those who wish to file formal complaints often find it difficult to navigate the complex procedures, only to find their paperwork buried in some cabinet or their cases adjudicated behind closed doors. Those who go public, meanwhile, face withdrawal of funding, lack of institutional support, and being passed over for promotion. In most cases, the bureaucrats who run universities are more concerned with protecting the institution than with correcting transgressions. Most of the charges here are broad and general, but anyone who has worked in higher education will recognize much of what Ahmed brings to light.
Sharp criticism of an overlooked systemic problem in higher education.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4780-1771-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Duke Univ.
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Engaging reflections on a life lived fully and well.
A fitting coda to the career of a singular writer.
Morris (1926-2020) was a prolific historian and author perhaps best known for her Pax Britannica trilogy about the British Empire as well as her participation in Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s 1953 Mount Everest expedition. Refreshingly, this thematically conceived collection of essays, unlike so many publications of miscellany issued shortly after an author dies, reflects the writer’s intent and cooperation. As her longtime editor, Robert Weil, notes in the introduction, in her final decade of life, she discussed her work on a “posthumous book,” one not to be published until after she died—though, as Weil points out, not because it “contained salacious revelations.” Discussions of politics and other hot-button topics are scarce in this collection, which highlights the travel pieces that built the author’s reputation for acute observation and analysis. In addition, the book showcases Morris’ keen attention to mortality, faith (and lack thereof), and basic human decency—what Weil describes as her “adamantine belief in the power of kindness to help solve the immense problems of the world.” The title is appropriate, as the author’s essays are rarely about just one thing. A sterling example is her incisive appreciation of Ulysses, a novel she long resisted. Morris sees it not as a single coherent novel but rather an amalgamation of many parts: celebration of Dublin, portrait of an “outsider” figure, incomprehensible prose poem, “even a sort of sex manual, because a multitude of sexual preferences and variations are observed.” Though Morris began her gender transition from male to female in 1964 (at the time, one of the most well-known cultural figures to do so) and underwent reassignment surgery in 1972, she summarily dismisses “those more interested in my gender than in my books.” Throughout, she demonstrates the stylistic command that has always distinguished her work. While stressing empathy and resisting pomposity, she refuses to suffer fools gladly.
Engaging reflections on a life lived fully and well.Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-87140-414-5
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Liveright/Norton
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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