by Russell Blair ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 28, 2022
An evocative, well-researched, and convincing case for global bilingualism.
Retired judge Blair’s latest geopolitical treatise makes the case for bilingualism as a vital component of humanity’s future.
Blair has published multiple books and essays since 2012, centered on 21st-century geopolitics, global warming, and the necessity of collective global action toward creating a more equitable world. Here, the author argues that two-mother-tongue bilingualism (abbreviated throughout the book as “2 MT bilingualism”) is essential for achieving peaceable global unity: This form of language learning essentially involves children learning two languages simultaneously from a young age. As per the book’s ambitious recommendations, the United Nations’ “first step” in preparing for the future should be “the establishment of a global community of communication with a language rationalization policy of 2 MT Bilingualism.” Such a plan would bring a “psychological and emotional lift” to billions of marginalized people around the world who do not speak the 20 most popular languages and have been excluded from the global exchange of ideas and resources. “Smaller political entities,” the book argues, would have a greater stake in sharing “international agency” with dominant “empire-states” and would be better equipped to join the fight against climate change and other potential global catastrophes that would disproportionately impact poorer nations. Blair makes a convincing case that empowering the United Nations through 2 MT bilingualism would not create a one-world government “Leviathan” (as predicted by anti-globalists) but would instead lead to a more democratic world order. The author asserts that while past efforts to achieve a global language (most notably the creation of Esperanto in the late 19th century) have prioritized Western languages, the emphasis on 2 MT bilingualism is sensitive to the post-colonial demand for preservation of “smaller language communities.” The author’s plea for bilingualism is particularly sympathetic to famed Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe’s critique of imposed colonial languages and explores case studies from Tanzania and Indonesia on finding “an indigenous alternative to linguistic congruence with a European language.”
Blair argues that it was former European colonies after World War II who first rejected the Western idea of monolingual congruence as a necessity for nation-states and provided the foundations for “a new language rationalization policy for the 21st Century.” Blair’s book also effectively dismantles some prevailing linguistic myths in the West: namely the perceived national importance of monolingualism and the idea that English is the forerunner in the race toward a global language. And while admitting that “global linguistic congruence is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the resolution of our current problems,” Blair may still be overselling the democratizing effects of bilingualism. Despite the author’s own occasional linguistic eccentricities, the book is nevertheless compelling in its philosophy and thoroughly researched: In its 138 pages, Blair marshals more than 100 footnotes from scholarly sources to back its claims and utilizes many visual aids. And although the book is certainly serious in intention, it also incorporates snippets of playful linguistic humor: When discussing anachronistic gendered grammars, for instance, the book highlights logical inconsistencies, such as the French word for beard (la barbe) being feminine, while a woman’s breast (le sein) is masculine. Nevertheless, the book’s emphasis on a bilingual system that would benefit poor countries offers a potential solution to a myriad of global linguistic issues.
An evocative, well-researched, and convincing case for global bilingualism.Pub Date: Dec. 28, 2022
ISBN: 9798371525024
Page Count: 188
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Bill Maher ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2024
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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by Alok Vaid-Menon ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
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Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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