4.5 This one reads as if my college linguistics textbook was written by a literary fiction writer. The author traces our relationship to language from birth to death, incorporating both her insight as a psycholinguist and her personal story. It covers such topics as language acquisition (both primary and second language), aging and language, and language in relation to time. A thread on her relationship with her mother covers all the complex parts of communication that happen in real time, showing not just how miscommunication might happen but a wonder it doesn't happen more often. As a word and language lover, this was both informative, beautifully written, and a real treat.