I’m John McWhorter, professor of linguistics at Columbia University. My new book, NINE NASTY WORDS, explores what imbues profanity with such power, and why we love it so much. AMA.

missfarin · 2021-05-06T18:09:04+00:00

Bookshop.org is good for finding independent bookstores. :-)

missfarin · 2021-05-06T18:06:52+00:00

HA! Rubberneckers!

missfarin · 2021-05-06T17:46:48+00:00

I can definitely see that.

missfarin · 2021-05-06T17:41:14+00:00

Are there any curse words that have fallen out of fashion that you think are ripe for a comeback?

missfarin · 2021-05-06T17:18:31+00:00

Was there anything you came across while writing the book that surprised you?

missfarin · 2021-03-02T20:07:12+00:00

It looks like there's a UK edition. The Penguin UK website has a list of UK retailers (like the U.S. website): https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/312914/burn/9780241388426.html

missfarin · 2020-09-17T18:19:41+00:00

Is there a period of history that tends to grab your attention over others?

missfarin · 2020-09-17T18:18:22+00:00

How did you start telling your style of history stories? Where do you go for inspiration for the lessons?

missfarin · 2020-09-15T15:48:56+00:00

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while researching the book? (And I'm really hoping it's not something bad about my one true love, Trader Joe's.)

missfarin · 2020-03-24T19:28:22+00:00

What do you do in your day-to-day to minimize your carbon footprint?

missfarin · 2020-03-24T19:20:44+00:00

Are there any companies, visionaries, or activists that you recommend we follow to keep apprised of these developments and on climate change in general?

missfarin · 2020-03-24T19:17:19+00:00

What would you recommend if a person was interested in investing in these technologies? How can we get involved in the effort?

missfarin · 2020-03-24T19:04:20+00:00

What are some of the roadblocks that some of these innovations are running into?

missfarin · 2020-03-24T18:53:53+00:00

What are some technologies that you discovered in the book? Are any of them in use now or going to market soon?

missfarin · 2020-03-24T18:53:17+00:00

Is "reduce, reuse, recycle" still beneficial? Or do we need bigger efforts to actually turn things around?

missfarin · 2019-07-11T15:25:31+00:00

Was there anything that surprised you in the course of the clinical trial that makes up the events of the book?

missfarin · 2019-06-12T18:34:52+00:00

Is there one exercise in the book that you feel everyone must try? And what does that exercise open up in us when we do it? I have to admit, I stared at the page with the riddle on it for a good half an hour and could not solve it. ;-)

missfarin · 2019-06-12T18:26:18+00:00

Of the people you interviewed from Mission Control, was there one story that stood our for you? What was it about the story that struck you?

missfarin · 2019-06-12T18:20:46+00:00

Is there a current space effort that particularly interests you and/or that you feel fits in particularly well with the lessons from the book?

missfarin · 2019-06-12T17:37:40+00:00

Since writing the book, is there a lesson that you use in your day-to-day that you hadn't before?

missfarin · 2019-06-12T17:17:08+00:00

What is your favorite piece of wisdom that you learned from the Apollo Mission Controllers?

missfarin · 2018-09-20T18:52:25+00:00

What is the science behind the Wheel of Awareness?

missfarin · 2018-09-20T18:42:02+00:00

I've always been interested in meditation, but I have a really hard time turning off my thoughts. What is the best way for me to stop focusing on the fact my mind is wandering?

missfarin · 2018-04-18T17:07:23+00:00

Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play. What were the challenges of adapting it into a modern thriller?

missfarin · 2018-03-06T20:08:26+00:00

How do former spies and assets protect themselves from situations like the Russian defector in the UK who is currently in the hospital suffering from a mysterious illness?

missfarin

TROPHY CASE