Review: Eats, Shoots, & Leaves

Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

☆☆☆☆
Nonfiction

If you lament the illiteracy of the world, you can commiserate with this book. Here you will find sympathy for the pain of abused punctuation.

For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional process similar to the stages of bereavement, though greatly accelerated. First there is shock. Within seconds, shock gives way to disbelief, disbelief to pain, and pain to anger. Finally (and this is where the analogy breaks down), anger gives way to a righteous urge to perpetrate an act of criminal damage with the aid of a permanent marker.

It’s short book written by a Briton, filled with humor but also concise rules of punctuation. She also addresses American punctuation, which is slightly different. I knew about these rules but hadn’t known some marks have different names. Highly recommended for any writer, editor, or grammar nazi.

We read privately, mentally listening to the writer’s voice and translating the writer’s thoughts. The book remains static and fixed; the reader journeys through it. Picking up the book in the first place entails an active pursuit of understanding. Holding the book, we are aware of posterity and continuity. Knowing that the printed word is always edited, typeset and proof-read before it reaches us, we appreciate its literary authority. Having paid money for it (often), we have a sense of investment and a pride of ownership, not to mention a feeling of general virtue.