Wordslut by Amanda Montell

Wordslut: a feminst guide to taking back the english language, by Amanda Montell.
Wordslut is not only fun to say, the book is a delight to read for its spot-on analysis of how words are used and abused in modern Western culture, and the author's facile bending and warping of the English language.

Favorite excerpts: 

• . . . gender isn’t something you are, it’s something you do . . .
• . . . singular they was considered perfectly acceptable as a generic third-singular pronoun all the way up until the late eighteenth century. That’s when grammarians decided that people should start using the generic he instead.
• . . . the inherent harshness conveyed by a word like chop or slap, the ooey-gooeyness of slither, and the coziness of velvet.
• The legendary Betty White once said, “Why do people say ‘grow some balls’? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.”
• “What is needed is a new mythology, one which speaks about mutual exploration, communication, discovery, and pleasuring one another; where penetration is not an end unto itself, but one of the many possibilities for erotic enjoyment.

​The joys of this book are many. Check it out from your local library or order online. Highly recommended!

Also by Amanda Montell: Cultish
Other feminist essay collections: The Witches are Coming and Pandora's Jar

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