Book Review of the Week: The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker
The book is split up into seven chapters and within each of these seven chapters is a different aspect or topic associated with the intriguing use of words, told in a lingual nature. For instance, one of the chapters talk about transitive verbs and another talks about the seven words which you can't say on television. Each chapter has an in-depth telling of all of these spirals that get us confused, language-wise in our everyday lives.
What drew me in to this book, I believe, was the cover. I seem to remember the images striking me, and the blurb really got me interested. When I sat down and read the first chapter, it honestly got me really curious as to all the terms and words that I cannot understand, but are unveiled later in the chapters. Overall, I really enjoyed this book because it gets you thinking of all these aspects of this confusing language - and the others which I am yet to discover. But I can tell you one thing, you need to take a relatively large break between chapters, otherwise all this knowledge doesn't sink in that well. If you aren't even the slightest bit interested in reading, I suggest that you don't read this, purely because it gets on your mind quite easily and, I admit, it is a bit confusing and heavy at times.
By Katie L, Year 9
