The Genius of Language: Fifteen Writers Reflect on Their Mother Tongue
"Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful. . . . It is impossible to do do justice to all of the outstanding essays in this volume." --San Francisco Chronicle“Charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as wellas language. . . . Genuinely transporting”  --The New York Sun“Eloquently explores the links between childhood and language.” —Chicago Tribune"Provides readers not just with a peak inside the heads of these dazzling writers, but a trip to each of their homelands, from Russia to Italy to Chile."--CondéNast Traveler“This delightful collection É vividly recounts the process that anyone who loves words goes through: the process of falling under the spell of language’s seemingly infinite potential.” --Publishers Weekly“Intimate, entertaining and thoughtful É this volume provides fascinating insight into the way that grappling with language is a way people also grapple with life.” --San Francisco Chronicle“This is a collection that should heighten anyone’s awareness of the potential and the limitation of the English language.” --San Jose Mercury News“Ms. Lesser’s contemporary Conrads — writers who write in English though it’s not their first language — have delivered charming, moving and funny reflections on childhood, family, nationality, and ethnicity as well as language.”  --New York Sun“I laughed and cried over this collection of stories embracing the English language. {One of the 25 best books of 2004}.” --Seattle Times and Post- Intelligencer“A rich and surprising book brimming with love of culture and respect of language.” --Tucson Citizen“Powerful for their brevity É the richness and the range of the collection make this a valuable anthology.” --Kliatt (Massachusetts)“This collection of essays is fascinating.” –Asheville(North Carolina)Citizen-Times