Review: A Little Book of Language

"Grammar is the way we make sense of words. Without grammar, there's only vagueness."

Months ago I heard an interview on NPR with David Crystal, linguist and author of a new book about language written for young adults. Since then I have been looking forward to reading A Little Book of Language.

I heard the interview rebroadcast just before the book came into the library for me. Since I had just listened to David Crystal speak with his very proper British accent, I could hear his voice as I read his book. Which I found delightful, though not everyone would feel the same way.

Since I studied English and grammar in graduate school, this book was written a little simply for me. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I think most people could learn something from it. The chapters are short and the explanations are written in plain English.

If I taught high school English, I would certainly try to incorporate at least parts of this book into my lesson plans. Crystal thinks the study of language is vitally important for young people today--he speaks to them but not down to them. He is fascinated (rather than appalled like many older generations) by the language of texting, positing that you have to be a good speller to be a good texter because you have to know what letters are there before you can effectively leave them out. (I think that's the difference between a grammarian and a linguist--a grammarian is concerned with proper language, a linguist is just fascinated by language and how it evolves.)

If you have any interest in language, you should read this book. If I were your teacher, I would assign you to read this book.

Review: Ape House

I was completely swept away when I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, so I had high expectations for Ape House. I was not disappointed. There was a time in the middle section when I was not quite as engaged because the main stories had diverged, but once they came back together for the climax, I was fully committed to the story and its characters again.

Sara Gruen is a good storyteller. And I admire the way she can write from the point of view of anyone--male, female, primate.

This was not only a good story, but it had fascinating ideas about how much the title characters, the six bonobos, can learn and communicate with humans. They could understand spoken English and then reply in American Sign Language.

"One of the most exciting discoveries to come to the language lab was that once bonobos acquired human language they passed it on to their babies, communicating in a combination of ASL and their own vocalizations."

This is especially interesting to me because we have been teaching our daughter to sign to communicate since she was born. For a long time, it honestly felt pointless to me. It took her months to learn one sign. But now at 16 months, she often learns multiple new signs in one day. And she has definitely started using her signs to communicate her needs. I didn't notice this at first because I often knew what she wanted anyway. But one day when I thought she was hungry, she told me very distinctly that she was actually thirsty by signing "drink." She says "book," but it sounds like many of the other words she says that start with a "B." But when she signs "book" at the same time, there is no question of what she wants.

Tangent over. It was a good book. I recommend it.

Reading Slump

I feel a reading slump coming on. I just finished reading Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. I'd read a long line of fiction and needed some interesting nonfiction to change things up a bit. It fit the bill, but I'm obviously late on reading this book, so you probably already know that it's interesting.

My library hold list is not giving me what I want to read. What I'd really like to read right now is David Crystal's A Little Book of Language. I recently heard the rebroadcast of his interview on NPR.

I was also about to complain about not having any good fiction to read right now, but I just found out that the newest Sara Gruen novel, Ape House, is waiting for me at the library. So hopefully some better reading is in the very near future for me.

Wordstock 2010

Today we went to the Wordstock Festival here in Portland, Oregon. We visited the children's area where Ivy listened to some stories and some music. She also got to see Olivia the Pig, and though she wasn't excited, she also thankfully wasn't scared either.

Then we just walked up and down checking out vendors, buying a few books, and getting some free stuff. I think my favorite vendor was Allport Editions cards. They had a new 12 Days of Christmas card for Shakespeare Lovers. Check out the Literary and Book Lover's 12 Days cards as well. I settled on the Book Lover's because there are more people I can send it to who will understand the references than the Shakespeare one. I also got a Wordstock mug so I can feel literary drinking my hot cocoa or cider while I read books this winter.

General admission is only $7 per adult and free for kids, and there's a lot more to do than we take advantage of, so check it out if you're in the area.

Review: Messenger

I just finished reading Messenger by Lois Lowry. In this last book, the characters from The Giver and Gathering Blue come together for a conclusion to the series. Messenger had a more complete ending than the other two books, which is what I was looking for. But my initial reaction was not wanting to like the ending. It's a good ending, but it's a sad one.

As an undergrad, I took a literature class that focused on landscape. In Messenger, the landscape not only plays an important role in the story, it is a character itself. It was an interesting look at the idea that how we live effects where we live.

If you've read either of the first two books, you should certainly read this last book. But like the first two, Messenger can stand on its own as well.

Mark Twain Uncensored

This year marks 100 years since Mark Twain's death. Which means, per his willed request, his autobiography can finally be published. I can't wait to read the uncensored Autobiography of Mark Twain.

Volume 1 is slated for release next month and is going to be 743 pages. Talk about heavy reading! Can you imagine being responsible for editing and proofreading that thing?

Oh, to be studying American Literature in a university at such a time as this! I will have to content myself with reading it on my own and pester my husband with anecdotes and quotes. I have it on hold at the library, but based on the uncertainty of where we'll be living in the next weeks or months, I just might have to ask for it for Christmas.

Review: Gathering Blue

As I began reading Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, I realized that I had read the book before. When I read it the first time, I don't remember realizing that it was a companion book to The Giver. Probably because nothing about The Giver is ever mentioned in Gathering Blue. I assume they tie together in the third book, Messenger, which is sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read.

Knowing the connection between the two books, I got more out of Gathering Blue this time because I was conscious of the differences and similarities between the two civilizations portrayed. The differences are obvious to anyone who's read them. Shielded from pain and hardship in The Giver, everything is pain and hardship in Gathering Blue.

The similarity that I was most struck by is the intense need to remember the past. Even though in one book, the people remain in ignorance of their past and in the other they gather yearly to hear their past sung, the need to preserve it is equally important in both. And the person who holds the memory of their past is the most honored, but also in many ways the most unfortunate member of their society.

There is also a lot of secrecy in both books. The people are all being told, or not told, many things in order to keep them in line. Whether through fear or ignorance, the results are the same: a group of followers who do not question.

I'm looking forward to making more connections, and maybe encountering an ending, in Messenger.

Review: The Giver

In honor of Banned Books Week, I reread The Giver by Lois Lowry. The first time I read it, I felt like I knew what the ending meant. Now I can see a few different interpretations--though that still means I'll choose the interpretation that I like. With the book fresh in my mind though, I am going to go check out its companion books Gathering Blue and Messenger.

Besides being an enjoyable and interesting read without being too laborious (that's what I love about quality YA fiction), it was good for me to read this book at this time in my life. Lately my toddler has been getting hurt or sick every time I turn around. It's stressful and sometimes I want to just put her in a bubble (or maybe wrap her in bubble wrap), but this book shows the extreme end of never having any pain or troubles. We need pain and suffering to know joy and love. I always knew it, but it's a good reminder right now.