Between You and Me

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.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.