Shocked and Awed: A Dictionary of the War on Terror (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780520268708)

Part reference, part polemic, part compelling snapshot of our times, Shocked and Awed is a bristling arsenal of potent weapons: words. Fred Halliday's unorthodox dictionary defines hundreds of words and phrases used about 9/11, the wars and other events that have followed it, and ongoing issues linked to those events. He shows how the War on Terror, itself a fascinating linguistic construct, has brought us not just new words, such as "Gitmo," and new imports, such as "jihad," but also new ways of using existing language, such as "extraordinary rendition." His definitions include religious, political, and military terms; famous quotes and phrases; cultural phenomena and personalities; euphemisms of war; important Middle Eastern vocabulary; stereotypes and insults; and much more. Taken together, these words tell a new story about the power and malleability of language and its important role in the central conflicts of our day. An essential reference, Shocked and Awed will keep readers informed and up-to-date on the global vocabulary war being waged around us in the twenty-first century.

Author: Fred Halliday
ISBN-10: 0520268709
ISBN-13: 9780520268708
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 03/15/2011
Pages: 360
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.42h x 5.45w x 1.02d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/15/2011 pg. 108
Booklist 10/01/2011 pg. 40
Choice 12/01/2011