Between You & Me

December 22, 2014
Norris has spent more than 35 years in the New Yorker’s legendary copy department, earning the nickname Comma Queen along the way. So it makes sense that her first book is a delightful discourse on the most common grammar, punctuation, and usage challenges faced by writers of all stripes. Not surprisingly, Norris writes well—with wit, sass, and smarts—and the book is part memoir, part manual. She recounts the history of Webster’s Dictionary; explains when to use who vs. whom and that vs. which; distinguishes between the dash, colon, and the semicolon; delves into the comma and the hyphen; and weighs in on the use of profanity in writing. Norris also finds ways to reference the Lord’s Prayer, the Simpsons, Moby-Dick, and, in a touching anecdote, her own sister. The New Yorker has an unconventional house style—for instance, the magazine uses diaeresis marks in words like coöperate, where the prefix (co-) ends in the same vowel used at the beginning of the stem (operate), to indicate that the vowels are pronounced differently—and, though Norris doesn’t always agree with its strict style rules, readers may not agree with her ideas on language. But it’s a sure bet that after reading this book, they’ll think more about how and what they write. Agent: David Kuhn, Kuhn Projects.

Starred review from July 1, 2015
Cleveland native Norris has scrutinized punctuation, spelling, and grammar in "The New Yorker"'s legendary copy department since 1978. Her laugh-out-loud narrative-- part memoir, part usage guide--examines the toughest grammatical challenges faced by writers, including comma usage; gender-neutral pronouns; "that" vs. "which"; "who" vs. "whom"; the difference among dashes, colons, and semicolons; and the dreaded dangling participle. Grammar has never been so entertaining thanks to Norris's lively narration; accessible, often irreverent, prose; and colorful literary examples ranging from "Moby-Dick" (Who put that hyphen on the book's title page when it isn't used in Melville's text?) to "The Simpsons" (Mr. Burns's excellent grammar "marks him as a villain."). Equally entertaining are the biographical elements sprinkled artfully throughout the book (like commas from the "comma shaker" on Norris's "New Yorker" desk.) Recollections from Norris's early jobs (working in a costume shop, delivering milk, packaging cheese) and her tenure at "The New Yorker", as well as fond and funny family reminiscences, make this work an excellent choice for memoir fans. VERDICT This sassy, feel-good title will also make listeners feel smarter--a can't-miss choice for all collections.--Beth Farrell, Cleveland State Univ. Law Lib.

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