Grammar for a Full Life
How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us
Lawrence Weinstein
Cofounder, Harvard University Writing Center
Why settle for a normal book on grammar when you could learn new things about it and become your own best self at the same time?
If you’re looking for a traditional manual of rules, this much-acclaimed, groundbreaking book by a cofounder of Harvard University’s Writing Center may not be the one for you. Grammar is about much more than rules: it’s about choices, too—since a thought can always be expressed correctly in multiple ways.
In Grammar for a Full Life, author Lawrence Weinstein reveals how our grammatical choices either stifle or boost our…
• sense of agency in life
• creativity
• depth of connection to others
• and mindfulness.
For more description of the book—plus some of the endorsements it has garnered and a 30-second video by author Lawrence Weinstein—scroll down.
AVAILABLE ON:
Weinstein shows that certain tweaks to a person’s grammar can bring consequential changes in his or her fulfillment and well-being. In this wonderfully readable book, he describes some forty transformative moves that can be made with English punctuation and syntax. You’ll learn, for instance, why a greater use of active voice constructions builds assertive energy in us. You’ll discover how—paradoxically—cutting back on exclamation marks heightens our awareness of the world.
There is not too much about personality and life that Weinstein doesn’t see benefitting from a wiser use of grammar. In a chapter titled “Bonding,” even sex comes in for some grammatical attention. Even fear of death receives its own, almost lyrical chapter near book’s end.
The farther one gets into this remarkable book, the clearer it becomes that Weinstein’s wish—for both himself and us—is actualization of “the whole person,” through language.
No reader should be intimidated by Weinstein’s university credentials. As important a book as his is, it’s conversational throughout—and it’s packed with numerous compelling, clear examples. You will never think of commas or possessive pronouns in the same way again. Your regard for the conjunction “but” is likely to soar.
Man Being Strangled by a Giant Paragraph,
by George Grosz (courtesy, the Estate of George Grosz)
Editorial Reviews
“Lawrence Weinstein has written a brilliant and original book that beckons and lures us toward the good and mature life so missing in our troubled times!”
—Cornel West author of Race Matters
“Writers and non-writers alike will learn so much from this wise book. I loved it!”
—Lynne Truss author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves
“Strunk and White, move over! Weinstein coaches us on how to live.”
—Rabbi Lawrence Kushner author of Kabbalah: A Love Story
“Weinstein confirms what we writers have always known in our hearts: even when we decide whether to insert a comma, we reveal our characters. “
—Anne Fadiman author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
“Every so often comes along a book that changes how we think. Grammar for a Full Life is one of those. In it, Lawrence Weinstein passionately coalesces the art and craft of writing with the grand adventure of being a human being.”
—Richard Lederer author of such books as Anguished English and A Man of My Word
“This captivating book will make you a better writer–and a better person.”
—Rick Hanson, Ph.D. author of Buddha’s Brain
“If you read just one book this year, let this be the one.”
—Joan Borysenko author of The Power of the Mind to Heal
Meet the Author
Lawrence Weinstein has spent his career teaching writing at the college level. Among other things, he cofounded and directed Harvard University’s Writing Center. His books include Writing at the Threshold, a bestseller of the National Council of Teachers of English, and Money Changes Everything (Bedford-St. Martins, 2014). Two full-length plays by Weinstein have received professional productions. One, The La Vidas’ Landlord, has been optioned for production on Broadway.
Grammar for a Full Life
How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us
ORDER HERE
Send a Message
Copyright © Lawrence Weinstein. All Rights Reserved. Site by Sublime Creations.