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Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen<\/em>, written by Mary Norris, makes learning grammar fun. Part memoir and part usage guide, Norris tells her journey climbing the ladder to becoming the New York Times<\/em> copy editor.\u00a0 Throughout the novel, Norris shares her views on spelling, punctuation, comma faults, \u201cwho\u201d vs. \u201cwhom\u201d, \u201cthat\u201d vs. \u201cwhich,\u201d compound words, gender-neutral words, dangling participles, and pronouns, all while telling her experiences with different authors. This book is both entertaining and informational. Whether or not you are interested in becoming a grammarian, this book is still charming and worth picking up.<\/p>\nMary Norris grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and attended college in New York where she eventually moved permanently. Her very first job was working at a pool as a foot checker at the age of sixteen. She went on to work as a milk woman for a dairy company. It wasn\u2019t until she went to college that she found her love for grammar. Mary Norris started out working for The New Yorker<\/em> in 1978 and has worked there as a query proofreader and copy editor for over thirty years. In her books, she talks about how she has always wanted to write a book, and so she finally set out to write this book at the age of sixty-four.<\/p>\n Her story begins with \u201cSpelling is for Weirdos\u201d where she discusses the confusing rule of \u201ci<\/em> before e<\/em> except after c<\/em>.\u201d She also answers the question, \u201cWhy should we care about spelling?\u201d (Norris 16). Basically, the answer to this question is so that people do not look ignorant and uneducated in their formal writing. Norris also brings into question the necessity for copy editors when today we have spellcheck. The answer to this is simple: spellcheck \u201cdoesn\u2019t recognize context and therefore cannot distinguish between homophones, words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings (Norris 17).<\/p>\n In her next chapter (\u201cThat Witch!\u201d), Norris explains when a writer should use \u201cthat\u201d and when they should use \u201cwhich.\u201d In chapter three, \u201cThe problem of Heeshe,\u201d Norris discusses gender-neutral words, which is probably one of the more interesting topics in this book. Norris discusses all of the ideas people have had about introducing new gender-neutral pronouns into the English language. Spoiler alert \u2013 all attempts have failed.<\/p>\n The reader discovers where the title for the book comes from in the next chapter. One of the biggest mistakes people make in English today is saying \u201cyou and I\u201d when they really mean \u201cyou and me.\u201d After reading this chapter, it is very obvious what Mary Norris\u2019 biggest grammatical pet peeve is.<\/p>\n Chapter 5 reveals why Norris refers to herself as a \u201ccomma queen\u201d with the title, \u201cComma Comma Comma Comma, Chameleon.\u201d This chapter is full of examples of comma splicing, inserting too many commas, and not putting in enough. Norris also describes what it\u2019s like being a copy editor when she tells stories of authors who insist on commas that do not belong. This is one of the funnier chapters of her book. With titles like, \u201cA dash, a semicolon, and a colon walk into a bar,\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s up with the apostrophe?\u201d, \u201cF*ck this sh*t,\u201d and \u201cBallad of a pencil junkie,\u201d I couldn\u2019t help but be enticed to read the book to the end. The remaining chapters all have the same theme. Norris introduces a particular concept in grammar that people seem to have trouble with, and teaches it properly through funny stories and examples.<\/p>\n Norris\u2019s first book was published on April 6th<\/sup>, 2015 and since then has received a lot of praise. The back cover is full of praise from different authors, storytellers, humorists, and radio personalities. Ian Frazier, a best-selling author and humorist, said the book was \u201csmart and funny and soulful and effortlessly illuminating.\u201d Adam Gopnik said, \u201cMarry Norris brings a tough-minded, clear-eyed, fine-tuned wisdom to all the perplexities and traps and terror of the English sentence.\u201d According to Marilyn Johnson, \u201cMarry Norris is a grammar geek with a streak of mischief, and her book is obscenely fun.\u201d Garrison Keillor said that Norris\u2019 book \u201cis as entertaining as grammar can be. Very very. Read it and savor it.\u201d John McPhee said, \u201cMary Norris is the verbal diagnostician I would turn to for a first, second, or third opinion on just about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen<\/em> is charming, entertaining, and informational. However, one word that comes to mind when reading this book is \u2018inconsistent.\u2019 The chapters seem to be about a lot more than the title implies, and sometimes the stories she chooses to tell do not always seem completely relevant to the grammatical lesson given. On a personal note, I did not appreciate the excessive amount of page breaks throughout a single chapter because it was distracting for me.<\/p>\n In her review, Rebecca Mead argued that Norris\u2019s book is \u201cNo dry guardian of grammar, no punitive Poobah of punctuation, Norris offers a warm, tender, and funny coming-of-age story.\u201d However, while the majority of books reviews are very positive, it seems that the only ones who are giving this book any reviews are writers, English teachers, grammarians, and copy editors. Norris\u2019s book is worthy of a broader readership. This book is appropriate for young adults and up. The book does include mild language throughout, and some adult content. Nevertheless, this would be a great book for anyone having a hard time studying grammar, or looking for a nice short book to read in a weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Courtney Wallace Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, written by Mary Norris, makes learning grammar fun. 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