Book Review: Word Wise

Title: Word Wise
Author: Will Jelbert
Genre: Nonfiction; Self-help

Year Published: October 20, 2020
Date Started: August 14, 2023

Date finished: August 16, 2023

This book covers communication through the English language. The book is broken down into two parts. The first part covers the ways society has become poor word choice users, using slang and made-up words instead of using action words. The second part covers how to use words appropriately and powerfully to get the message across.

There is a lot to convey in this book. Most people don’t really think about the human communication process, or how we, as Americans, communicate with each other. Learning how to communicate properly starts in our education system. The words we learn and use daily are what forms our vocabulary. With the growth in social media, people tend to use shortened words or words to evoke sympathy without providing actual proof or sources. We’ve created a society where we assume we know what someone is saying or feeling, but we really don’t. The author reminds us that words are powerful and in order to communicate our message clearly without guesses, we need to know how to use the right words. He touches on writing and how some writings are better than others with just simply using action verbs instead of adverbs and adjectives. Speaking works in the same manner. He also touches on “beautiful words,” or words that create images and poetry in our heads. Some people are gifted with this type of communication, but we all can learn. I’d like to add that a person’s elocution plays a big part in communication as well.

I enjoyed reading this book. There were lots of information on word usage as well as examples from a variety of people on social media on how not to say something/correctly say something which I found interesting and beneficial. Overall, I think we can all benefit from a book like this, a book to remind us that we need to work on how to communicate effectively.

Who should read this book: If you have an interest in the English language or just understanding the deeper meaning of words, this will be a fun read.