Reviews for The language war

The average rating for The language war based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-01-15 00:00:00 John Thomas Really enjoyed this book! Although I skimmed more than read ... Lots of "aha!" moments. Really, really interesting chapters analyzing the media narratives of the O.J. Simpson trial and Hillary Rodham Clinton in politics. Notable quotes: "We use narratives as framing devices. We try to encode our experiences and observations as stories with beginnings and endings, predictable outcomes, rationales, logical conclusions. The more disturbing an event or series of events and the less it fits neatly into our preconceptions of a 'good' story, the more it requires framing to bring it to reasonableness" (p. 197). "The Simpson story contains too many loose ends that can't be shaped into a coherent narrative with a conclusive plot, causal connections, and a happy ending with a moral. We like our nonfiction to resemble our fiction in these ways, and when the story doesn't unfold like a romance novel or a whodunit, it nags at our minds, causing us to pick at it obsessively, going over the details again and again" (p. 200).

Review # 2 was written on 2020-09-10 00:00:00 Ross Smith Firstly, I would have rated this book 5 stars if it had stopped or expanded upon the first three chapters. Phenomenal analysis, wonderfully written, and very articulate. (Also, wishing it to have had a more radical perspective than her liberal framework, but that’s neither here nor there). However, chapters four, six, & seven, (although again having a great analysis and well written), did not sit with me right, as Robin Tolmach Lakoff speaks on black issues probably more than she should’ve without including black writers/analyses in the discussion. I don’t think she should’ve have *not* written them, because they teach a lot about how white people operate within the normative or “unmarked” worldview. I just wish she would’ve added more black voices to contribute there (especially and specifically in the “Ebonics” chapter 7). Chapter five was frustrating. Although having a rather well founded analysis of the misogynistic narrative surrounding Hillary Clinton, completely lacked the political narrative in the harm she’s caused. Rather than exploring the other reasons Hillary Rodham Clinton was disliked and unfavorable, Lakoff sums most all of it up to misogyny and contempt for Clinton as a woman. I firmly believe there is much more to be dissected in the violent politics Hillary Clinton holds and the ways that makes her untrustworthy/unreliable, than assuming all her dislike to be solely rooted in misogyny. Acknowledging that both can compound, yet there are absolutely still numerous ways to critique HRC (politically/socially) without adding in misogyny. Chapter eight really left me feeling like we learned nothing. Which from the last section in the book may have been Robin’s purpose. However, I did learn a great deal in the first three chapters and would’ve loved to have had that reintroduced in the last chapter in a much better way than it was. Overall, I think everyone should read at least the first three chapters! I really truly enjoyed those and would recommend them to anyone who would be able to read them with a more radical lens.