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65 reviews for:
The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Jeff Deck
3.18 AVERAGE
65 reviews for:
The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Jeff Deck
3.18 AVERAGE
Interesting tale of a guy and his friends who go around and fix typos on signs and menus and any other place they crop up. It goes through his emotional turmoil of the legitimacy of fixing them, and there's even a surprise twist at the end. Recommended for anyone who reads or writes the English language.
Pretty fluffy. And hard to believe that the little revelations they came to throughout the trip weren't fully on their minds before they set out. Really? There's gray in between prescriptivism and descriptivism? I had no idea. The whole thing is definitely appropriate subject matter for a blog, but it makes a very light book. I kept reading it, though, probably because of Deck's usually good prose and because I wanted to get to the part about the trial. And probably because I wanted to (but didn't) find a typo or two.
By far the most interesting parts of the book were the digressions from the mundane descriptions of the trip itself into the realm of language history, communication, and grammar. I'd already heard most of it before, but I recognize that the book was written for a wide audience.
By far the most interesting parts of the book were the digressions from the mundane descriptions of the trip itself into the realm of language history, communication, and grammar. I'd already heard most of it before, but I recognize that the book was written for a wide audience.
Being a bit of a grammar nerd (and, while not an editor, a person who points out typos in signs all the time), I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this book from the title alone. And I did. But it wasn't an angry book, really, more of a mellow reflection on how people approach grammar, why people do things wrong, and an accidental federal offense. (No, really.)
An absorbing read of the journey (both literal and mental) taken by some friends who go on a quest. Which is, all things considered, sort of neat in concept as well as in execution.
An absorbing read of the journey (both literal and mental) taken by some friends who go on a quest. Which is, all things considered, sort of neat in concept as well as in execution.
A delightful romp through the grammatical stupidity of our country. I highly recommend this to anyone who has ever had issues with bad spelling or punctuation. Though I did have issue with a few grammatical choices in the book.
I really enjoyed this one, even though I wasn't sure I would in the first few chapters. This story of friends touring the country and correcting typos is very entertaining once you embrace the somewhat hyperbolic "English majors showing off" writing style. Some of the text is a little pompous, but after a while you realize that's part of the goof, that they're poking fun at their "mission." Once I realized that, I just dug in and went along for the ride. If you like language, you'll probably like this book a lot.
funny
lighthearted
As a massive grammar/spelling geek who still gets it wrong on occasions, I was sold on this book once I read the title.
In my mind this was going to be a fun romp thru the US as told via the errors in signage and the
trouble the protagonist would take to fix them.
In reality, it was too dry to really be fun and too informal to at least be somewhat educational.
While appreciate how well written it is and it gets better as the story progresses (thus the three stars), there wasn’t that much to enjoy in reading the author’s OCD plan to fix the typos of the world.
Thank you, Jessica, for a good read! Lots of fun, though maybe less funny than I thought it would be, & more serious. Jeff & Ben (AKA "TEAL" - Typo Eradication Advancement League) cross the US correcting typos on signs – with and without permission – and learn about themselves, friendship, the law, how to be on probation, love, the world, and everything at the same time! They learn – perhaps through some hindsight – that asking for permission is better. They learn that despite a few Meanies out there, most people are nice, & more than correcting typos, they enjoy the interactions they have with other people & what they learn in the process.
This is not a book filled with snarky grammar jokes (“The panda says NO!”), but there are some great lines including, “Fool, the free market has triumphed over your silly normative spelling conventions!”
And finally, the bottom line: “It’s rude not to proofread!”
Oh, and there’s even a handy grammar & apostrophe usage guide at the back of the book!
This is not a book filled with snarky grammar jokes (“The panda says NO!”), but there are some great lines including, “Fool, the free market has triumphed over your silly normative spelling conventions!”
And finally, the bottom line: “It’s rude not to proofread!”
Oh, and there’s even a handy grammar & apostrophe usage guide at the back of the book!
I am simply astonished at how the authors decided to correct typos around the country. Who does that? Well, they did. It is a pretty compelling story. I thought it was pretty funny since they also have some photos that show what they did.
I have been that person who notices spelling errors a mile away. All. The. Time. I always feel the need to say something to someone about it & I will only get annoyed if they blow it off. I despise the usual coffee shop type of spelling Colombia like the city instead of the country where coffee comes from.
I want to mention all the big SAT words being used in this book was super annoying. I mean ok, we get it you're a writer/author/editor/etc. & you don't need to use such vocabulary words that aren't in most people's natural conversations. Super annoying & pretty pretentious actually. Simply unnecessary.
So read the book, learn a few things that are stated at the end of the book & which are pretty helpful. Amazing they have made this a thing, good for them.
I have been that person who notices spelling errors a mile away. All. The. Time. I always feel the need to say something to someone about it & I will only get annoyed if they blow it off. I despise the usual coffee shop type of spelling Colombia like the city instead of the country where coffee comes from.
I want to mention all the big SAT words being used in this book was super annoying. I mean ok, we get it you're a writer/author/editor/etc. & you don't need to use such vocabulary words that aren't in most people's natural conversations. Super annoying & pretty pretentious actually. Simply unnecessary.
So read the book, learn a few things that are stated at the end of the book & which are pretty helpful. Amazing they have made this a thing, good for them.
Self-righteous editor takes gap year, goes on road trip with friends. Corrects errors and alienates people. Gets criminal record. How not to do it.