• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2003 October #2
  Acclaimed linguist McWhorter (The Power of Babel [2002]) explores the social dynamics that have changed the English language since the 1960s and threaten to erode our intellectual prowess. Comparing past speakers from Abraham Lincoln to Mario Cuomo to more modern speakers, including President George W. Bush, McWhorter laments the loss of the art of oration, notwithstanding Jesse Jackson and the black preaching tradition. He traces the current emphasis on oral versus written speech across a variety of cultures and times. McWhorter focuses on the forces at work in the U.S. that have heightened the appeal of plain-speaking since the 1960s, including the influence of music, the breakdown of racial barriers, and the rise in immigration and technology. While he sees the trend toward emphasizing the oral over the written as "the celebration of the art in spoken language," he laments the impact on our ability to read, write, and critique. McWhorter's eloquent style and cogent analysis will appeal to readers concerned about trends in American education and communication. ((Reviewed October 15, 2003)) Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews

John McWhorter is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an associate professor of linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley.

John McWhorter is an associate professor of linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. His books include Authentically Black (Gotham Books, 2003), The Power of Babel, and the New York Times bestseller Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America. He has appeared on many television news shows, and his articles appear regularly in The New Republic and The Wall Street Journal.