The Compleat Motherfucker: A History of the Mother of All Dirty Words

"I've had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" shouted Samuel Jackson in the movie Snakes on a Plane. It was the use of the famous expletive that brought on huge promotional buzz. The best-selling book On Bullshit won its audience from its shockingly unapologetic treatment of its title rather than its fairly pedestrian academic inquiry.

The Compleat Motherfucker is an entertaining and informative investigation into the offensive slang, touching on African American...