Jo Brand is an English comedian, writer, and actress whose humor is rooted in observations of everyday life. Her work is characterized by irony and sarcasm, often focusing on the absurdities of human behavior. She draws on her background in psychiatric nursing to offer a unique perspective on the human psyche, tackling serious subjects with both levity and empathy. Her style is accessible yet incisive, earning her widespread appeal.
Hastings in the seventies is not the coolest place to be. As Rachel and Susan teeter on the brink of adolescence, they realise safety lies in numbers and the best chance of surviving their teens is by sticking together. Their friendship protects them against the trials of parents, classmates, bullies who harass them in school, soggy chips, warm beer, aspiring guitar heroes, stoned hippies, men's clubs, derivative three chord bands and emotional neediness and weediness. But when Dave, local rock-star and general bad-boy, enters their lives, they discover that sex, drugs and rock'n'roll aren't always everything they've dreamed of. And then Punk music detonates the status quo and nothing will ever be the same again. This is a wonderfully funny and poignant novel about growing up in the seventies, the brittle nature of teenage friendship and the tough twists and turns of emerging adulthood.
Why do good things cut the mustard? Who or what was the real Real McCoy? And why do we call false sentiment crocodile tears? Can crocodiles really cry? In What Made the Crocodile Cry? , Susie Dent draws on her popular television segment on the curiosities of English to tackle these and many other fascinating puzzles. Writing with her customary charm and erudition, Dent offers a wonderfully readable and endlessly entertaining exploration of language, answering 101 of the most intriguing questions about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar and usage. Dent ranges far and wide in her search for the oddities of language, pondering the ancient origin of the word "tragedy" (which originally meant "goat song" in Greek) as well as the modern meaning of the word "donk" in the Blackout Crew's song title "Put a Donk in It." And throughout, the book brims with fascinating tales. Readers learn, for instance, that the word "bankrupt" comes from the Italian "banca rotta" or " broken bench" and the word "broke" (meaning "out of funds") has the same origin. Dent explains that in the sixteenth century, money lenders conducted their business on benches outdoors and the usual Italian word for "bench" was "banca" (hence today's "bank"). The author also provides an entertaining account of the origin of the term "white elephant" (meaning "a useless, burdensome possession") that dates back to ancient Siam, where rare white elephants were always given to the king. But since by law white elephants couldn't be worked (and earn money) or even be ridden, the king often re-gifted these worthless burdens to courtiers whom he didn't like. Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful compendium will be irresistible to anyone fascinated with language--the perfect gift for word lovers everywhere.
