elizabethrigby 's review for:

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

4.0

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Context really makes the words, doesn’t it? I cannot separate the context in which I read this story from the words, and I have been thinking about who is left out of frame when things are recorded. 

First, the book. It is a great story of who gets recorded and who decides what matters. Words shape the world and yet there is so much beyond them. It is a book for thinking and fighting, and it is also a good story. 

Second, some thoughts for the current moment. Women have often been lost to history, but even more so, minorities and others have never been given the chance. This book chronicles words lost and thought to be of no significance and how their meanings shape the lives of those who use them. 

In this moment in history, I think about what we have lost and also what we have to hold on to. Please use your voice. Hands off our democracy.