I enjoyed this book. Ms Jovin has traveled extensively and compared grammar usage from around thew US. I can't explain it any better than the book blurb.
When Ellen Jovin first walked outside her Manhattan apartment and set up a folding table with a sign reading “Grammar Table,” it took about 30 seconds to get her first visitor. EVERYONE had a question for her. Grammar Table was such a hit—attracting the attention of the New York Times, NPR, and CBS National News—that Ellen soon hit the road, traveling across the U.S. to answer questions from students, retired editors, bickering couples, and anyone else who uses words in this world.

In Rebel with a Clause she tackles what is most on people’s minds, grammatically speaking—from the Oxford comma to things you were never told about dictionaries, the ubiquity of like, common errors in online dating profiles, the likely lifespan of whom, semicolonphobia, and much, much more!

Punctuated with linguistic debates from tiny towns to sprawling state capitals, this is a treasure trove for anyone wishing to shore up their prose or delight in our age-old and universal fascination with language.
This is a perfect gift for teachers. Especially English instructors and anyone interested in grammar.

First, credit for originality is in order to Ellen Jovin for writing the only “light” book about grammar I have ever encountered.

The concept behind this is charming and fun, and while I don’t possess anything near to Jovin’s level of tolerance for dealing with the masses, I enjoyed reading about her interactions as she traveled the country with her husband and her grammar table.

Jovin does a good job of making the book a little bit interactive for the reader as well, sort of a fun series of opportunities to guess the correct grammar on a given topic before she explains it.

As an educational tool this is a bit on the simple side. Great if you’re a bit rough on grammar and need a primer, but personally I would have preferred some more complex and difficult material. Still, it’s a fun read if you’re into language and grammar, and Jovin has a lively and contagious sense of humor.

This was a really enjoyable way to take in bits of grammar that stump us all. The writing was great and I didn't expect a book like this to be so amusing.

A cheery exploration of the English language and the Americans who must navigate it.

Jovin offered free grammar advice and analysis on a cross-country road trip that was interrupted by the pandemic. Her Grammar Table attracted people with punctuation peeves as well as the grammar curious, and she answered their queries with enthusiasm and illustrative examples. Topics include everything from the Oxford comma to cursive handwriting, and Jovin makes it clear that unsolicited grammar advice and correction can be both unkind and incorrect. As she puts it, “Grammar is varied and complicated, and we need to stay humble before it.”

Overall, this is a very thoughtful book. I love Ellen's project and the advice she includes in the book is useful and interesting. What didn't work for me was the structure of each chapter -- every one is formatted the same, framed around a person or group that asked a question on a common grammar issue. The chapters are short, and after about 20 I started to feel like I was reading that same chapter over and over again: just swapping out the city, the person she interacted with, and their question. I appreciate the attempt to make the grammar information more interesting by coming at it through an anecdote, but in the end they were just too surface level for me. I ultimately just wanted to know the difference between affect and effect, for example, and skim the paragraphs about who was asking it. I do plan to give the book another try once I can read it in print, though!

Fun! I would have liked a bit more information about the author herself, but this was an enjoyable and anecdotal way to explore some of grammar’s tricky bits.

Ellen Jovin, an accomplished grammarian, leads us through American English by relating conversations she’s had across the country at her traveling grammar table. This was such a fun and refreshing way to review grammar. I learned a few things that have been updated since I was in school, too!

I’m a tad embarrassed to realize that I’ve been dating myself by using the double space after the end of a sentence. I’m not quite ready to quit, but am now at least aware.

Overall, I found this a remarkably breezy read, especially considering its topic. I wish I had bumped into her during her journey! Highly recommended to anyone who loves grammar or wants to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for access to this ARC. I can’t wait to recommend it upon its release.