Marilyn McEntyre is an excellent writer who presents in this book a very strong case for the careful use of language during a time when so much of our culture is dumbing down our interactions and limiting our attention spans. While the book was written in 2009, what she has to say is more pertinent than ever.

The author encourages care in the use of language through 12 strategies including: love words, don't tolerate lies, read well, stay in conversation, attend to translation, and cherish silence. I would have liked using some of the ideas from this book with my English classes.

I found this a compelling read that challenged me to reread some passages to fully consider them and to stop at the end of each section too ponder and reflect. And while McEntyre gives us a great deal of food for thought, she does so with a style that kept me engrossed.

For a review that is much more thorough and wonderfully written, see the blog bobonbooks.com (Bob Trube has a page on here with the review.