An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language:
learn to hear what’s left unsaid
Illustrated by Alejandro Giraldo
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An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language:
learn to hear what’s left unsaid
Illustrated by Alejandro Giraldo
Overview
The creators of An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments return at last with a desperately timely guide to rhetoric.
Have you ever wondered how language shapes a story? How a politician can waffle their way out of a scandal, or a newspaper headline determine how readers think about an event? This adorably illustrated book demonstrates the ways in which language can be used to influence thought.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed the city’s streets on Friday. The actual count was 250,000. Why tens of thousands, then, and not a quarter million?
Rabbits zapped three badgers in an ambush last night, hours after six rabbits in a neighbouring town lost their lives. Were the six rabbits the sole participants in losing their own lives? Those silly rabbits …
Old Mr Rabbit is your guide to these and many more examples of loaded language. He mines real reporting (by respected and rogue media alike) to unmask rhetoric that shifts blame, erases responsibility, dog-whistles, plays on fear, or rewrites history — subtly or shamelessly. It takes a long pair of ears to hear what’s left unsaid — but when the very notion of truth is at stake, listening for ‘spin’ makes all the difference.
Details
- Format
- Size
- Extent
- ISBN
- RRP
- Pub date
- Rights held
- Other rights
- Hardback
- 178mm x 203mm
- 96 pages
- 9781922585448
- AUD$29.99
- 3 May 2022
- UK & COMMONWEALTH (EX. CAN)
- LINWOOD MESSINA LITERARY AGENCY
Praise
‘This is a book for every thinking person, the perfect antidote to today’s culture wars. It doesn’t contain rules about what you can or can’t say—instead, it gives you tools to think more deeply about what your words convey, so that you may more precisely express yourself.’
‘There are a wealth of examples that exposed this reader to an Alice in Wonderland–like experience of bewilderment and amazement at the myriad ways news reports, advertisers, politicians, and anyone else can exploit language and befuddle the reader … This book should be required reading for all students.’
About the Author
Ali Almossawi is an alumnus of MIT’s engineering systems division and Carnegie Mellon’s school of computer science. His books include An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments, An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language, and Bad Choices. His writing has appeared in publications such as Wired. He works and lives in San Francisco.
Illustrator
Alejandro Giraldo holds a degree in graphic design from UPB Medellín and a master’s in art direction from ELISAVA (the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering). He runs the clothing company Velmost and works as a freelance illustrator. He lives in Medellín, Colombia.
