JUNE 2019 - AudioFile
Amanda Montell narrates her own audiobook, and in listening to just the first few minutes, it’s clear why that was the best choice. Her enthusiasm and passion for language shine, and her touches of humor keep listeners actively engaged and occasionally laughing out loud. Montell points a critical lens at our everyday language usage, showing how insults and curses at women and even the way women themselves speak have been used for centuries to hold them back from achieving equality. Her performance of vocal fry and uptalk is essential to understanding why women’s speech has evolved the way it has and why it is frequently criticized. An essential listen for anyone interested in dismantling the patriarchy or wishing to be more inclusive in their speech. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Patricia T. O'Conner
…Montell goes beyond generalities to cite hard evidence…Her delivery is light and humorous…But the lesson is serious and cannot be overstated: In countless ways, gender affects how we talk and how others hear us.
Publishers Weekly
06/10/2019
Montell dishes up equal parts sparkle and bite in her debut, an exploration of feminist sociolinguistics. Montell sees the English-speaking world as being on the edge of a language revolution in terms of how gender is both talked about and understood. She takes a playful yet insightful approach—for example, explicating how supposedly neutral insults like nasty and bossy are actually gendered, but also noting that their acoustic properties make them fun to say and powerful to reclaim. Identifying young urban women and socially oppressed people as leading linguistic innovators and language pedantry as connected to a fear of social change, she explains the “social utility” of oft-scorned, feminine-coded speech characteristics such as vocal fry, uptalk, the use of the word like, and overlapping talk in conversation. She digs into language patterns arising from patriarchal dominance, including catcalling and mansplaining; affirms that modern linguists are on board with the singular they; and delights in the sound of profane language in her “ode to cursing while female.” Montell projects an infectious glee about linguistics and feminism, foregrounding both their fun and their cultural relevance. Readers seeking a fresh, intellectually stimulating take on feminism will enjoy this one. Agent: Rachel Vogel, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (June)
From the Publisher
Amanda Montell has given validation and tools to those of us who have always felt wrong in our guts about the way gender permeates our means of communication and the criticisms often lobbed at women for how we talk. Wordslut is brilliant fun and empowers all women to give ourselves a voice.” — Gaby Dunn, author of Bad with Money
“As funny as it is informative, this book will have you laughing out loud while you contemplate the revolutionary power of words. Who knew sociolinguistics could be so damn entertaining? Leave it to a master of language like Amanda Montell to pull off this semantic magic trick.” — Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy
"Grounded in decades of innovative feminist scholarship, full of witty personal stories, and written with the pragmatic aim of disrupting and changing the status quo, this is a humorous and important book for anyone interested in gender equality, wordplay, or fostering precise communication. Just the kind of sharp, relevant scholarship needed to continue to inspire the next generation of feminist thought." — Kirkus Reviews
“I get so jazzed about the future of feminism knowing that Amanda Montell’s brilliance is rising up and about to explode worldwide.” — Jill Soloway
“As a bitch who says bitch and loves to talk about bitches, this smart and freakishly entertaining book awakens parts of my brain I didn’t know existed while tickling all my foul-mouthed, feminist, word-obsessed fancies. If you’re a human who speaks English and aren’t reading this, then what on earth are you doing.” — Samantha Irby
“This feisty, fascinating critique of the English language will make you feel smarter after every paragraph. Amanda Montell’s analyses are sharp and provocative but also funny and accessible. She’s the cool feminist nerd we need.” — Whitney Cummings, creator of 2 Broke Girls
“At its heart, this work reflects a tenet of sociolinguistic study: language is not divorced from culture; it both reflects and creates beliefs about identity and power. Modern stylings situated within foundational research will hopefully bring a new audience to the field of language and gender studies.” — Library Journal
“Wordslut is filled with fascinating info about the sexist history of our language: I literally said ‘whoa’ multiple times while reading this book. It is so witty and brilliant. Men and women both need to read it.” — Blyth Roberson
Samantha Irby
As a bitch who says bitch and loves to talk about bitches, this smart and freakishly entertaining book awakens parts of my brain I didn’t know existed while tickling all my foul-mouthed, feminist, word-obsessed fancies. If you’re a human who speaks English and aren’t reading this, then what on earth are you doing.
Jill Soloway
I get so jazzed about the future of feminism knowing that Amanda Montell’s brilliance is rising up and about to explode worldwide.
Blyth Roberson
Wordslut is filled with fascinating info about the sexist history of our language: I literally said ‘whoa’ multiple times while reading this book.
It is so witty and brilliant. Men and women both need to read it.
Camille Perri
As funny as it is informative, this book will have you laughing out loud while you contemplate the revolutionary power of words. Who knew sociolinguistics could be so damn entertaining? Leave it to a master of language like Amanda Montell to pull off this semantic magic trick.
Gaby Dunn
Amanda Montell has given validation and tools to those of us who have always felt wrong in our guts about the way gender permeates our means of communication and the criticisms often lobbed at women for how we talk. Wordslut is brilliant fun and empowers all women to give ourselves a voice.
Whitney Cummings
This feisty, fascinating critique of the English language will make you feel smarter after every paragraph. Amanda Montell’s analyses are sharp and provocative but also funny and accessible. She’s the cool feminist nerd we need.
JUNE 2019 - AudioFile
Amanda Montell narrates her own audiobook, and in listening to just the first few minutes, it’s clear why that was the best choice. Her enthusiasm and passion for language shine, and her touches of humor keep listeners actively engaged and occasionally laughing out loud. Montell points a critical lens at our everyday language usage, showing how insults and curses at women and even the way women themselves speak have been used for centuries to hold them back from achieving equality. Her performance of vocal fry and uptalk is essential to understanding why women’s speech has evolved the way it has and why it is frequently criticized. An essential listen for anyone interested in dismantling the patriarchy or wishing to be more inclusive in their speech. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
