Gena K. Gorrell

Florence Nightingale is a beloved historical figure, thought of as compassionate, warm, and likable. Heart and Soul paints a more adequate picture from the time Florence was a young girl to her atrophy. The infuriated young woman who wanted to follow her dreams and help others of lower standing, was halted by the expectations of her social standing. This exasperated woman worked vigorously to get her way, by any means possible. Although Florence gained much support and love from commoners, show more she acquired as many enemies on her journey to reform the gruesome state of hospitals in her time. Although the belief of her compassion is true, "the lady with the lamp" neglected to stay compassionate for herself, leaving her frail at a young age. Despite her supposed ailments, Florence's work continued in her writings and influence. Although at times, one feels indifferent to the extravagance of Miss Nightingale's personality, it is just as easy to grasp the necessity of her woes. In a time when the rich were not to work, this women worked harder than any before to change a system that was pitted against her. All of the love and adoration toward Florence Nightingale is deserved and she literally gave her entire life to the work of bettering a system that was lackadaisical in the safekeeping of the sick and dying. show less

While evidently written for younger readers (or at least, younger than myself...), I found this book full of fun facts. Did you know that:

* 'Denim' began as cloth de Nîmes – cloth from Nîmes, a town in France.
* That the emergency message "mayday" comes from French m’aidez meaning “help me!”
* The word 'nickname' was originally 'an ekename' (eke meant “extra”)
* Or that the soldiers of the Roman armies were sometimes paid in salt (sal in Latin), giving us our word salary, and we show more still say that people who earn their pay are worth their salt.

Anyone who loves words will find lots to interest them in this fun read! show less

I was looking for a book that would provide a brief history of the English language. This fit the need perfectly -- a quick, high level overview of how American English came to be what it is today. The many examples help to see and hear how (and why) language has morphed over the centuries. For those looking for a more in-depth history, The Power of Babel (McWhorter) is also very good.

Say What? The Weird and Mysterious Journey of the English Language by Gena K. Gorrell is a non-fiction book that traces the history of English. It presents fun and fascinating facts about the origins of the language and shows many examples of how it has borrowed and adapted from other languages. In addition to describing the history, the book also describes a number of common errors in usage that people make today, and it includes several entertaining quizzes testing your understanding of a show more word's origins. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. show less