From the Publisher
"Like is a fun and fascinating book that will leave its readers with delight, curiosity, and hope. Anyone who has ever been criticized for using this word, or has censured it themselves, needs not only read Megan Reynolds’s work but shout it from the rooftops." — Amanda Montell, New York Times-bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Cultish
"Valuable books have been written about 'ain’t,' 'okay,' 'bullshit,' and, as the title of Jesse Sheidlower’s classic puts it, 'the F-word.' We can add to that list Megan Reynold’s Like, a witty, informative, and thankfully non-judgmental deep dive into that beleaguered but extremely useful word." — Ben Yagoda, author of How to Not Write Bad
"Reynolds smartly and lightheartedly shares various scenarios in which she feels using the word 'like' in conversation offers an advantage. … Convincing evidence for offering 'like' another chance in the American English vernacular." — Kirkus Reviews
"Reynolds effectively mounts her larger argument: that people should embrace language’s changes rather than becoming cranky grammatical nitpickers exuding 'hall monitor energy.' It’s a passionate … love letter to linguistic evolution." — Publishers Weekly
"Full of interesting details, humorous asides, and vindication for all the readers who ever had a teacher put hatch marks on the board every time a student uttered 'like' in class, Like is a cathartic, enjoyable, and accessible read. … Like is more than an exploration of grammar and usage. It's, like, a love letter to the way teenage girls shape the English language." — Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Kirkus Reviews
2025-04-04
An examination of the place of “like” in American English.
For many, hearing a conversation peppered with the word “like” conjures an image of stereotypical teenage girls from the 1980s San Fernando Valley known as Valley Girls, a subculture often characterized as being less than intelligent. Some prescriptivists go so far as viewing the word’s usage as a sign of society’s decline. However, cultural writer Reynolds contends, “when a single word is so useful, so beautifully flexible, and does so much with so very little, it seems illogical and short-sighted to disregard its importance.” Despite second-guessing her own language choices in this context, Reynolds smartly and lightheartedly shares various scenarios in which she feels using the word “like” in conversation offers an advantage. As she suggests, “like” is a great alternative to “said” when recounting to a friend how an incident made one feel. “And then I was like….” The ability to use “like” in this context “has fundamentally changed the way we tell stories.” As Reynolds explains, when feelings are the focus, “we no longer have to recite (or remember) precisely what was said.” The word can also serve as a filler when a speaker needs a brief moment to gather his or her thoughts. “Well, like, I just, I’m not, like, sure….” The word can also serve as an intensifier. “I have, like, one zillion things to do.” Finally, Reynolds suggests that “like” can even be used as a full sentence when seeking emotional validation. “Like…!” She concludes, “Making a case for ‘like’s’ validity is making a case for progress—or for at least understanding that progress and change are not necessarily the enemy.”
Convincing evidence for offering “like” another chance in the American English vernacular.
