Very interesting and entertaining. I will be recommending to colleagues! I would also like to purchase a copy for my library!

A comprehensive look at the history of American English spelling. An interesting look at why many have tried to simplify English spelling, and why they ultimately failed. I’ve read many books on language, and have never seen this topic covered. A must-read for linguistic enthusiasts!

I love learning about anything to do with language, so I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this book! I especially love learning about where words/phrases come from and how American English separated itself from British English (where did all of those extra 'u' go?). I had recently heard about Ben Franklin having wanted to remove letters from the alphabet so I enjoyed getting to learn more about that. Who knew that so many prominent people over centuries wanted to make changes to spelling and the English language? And although Webster may have been universally disliked by the end of his career, you have to respect the way he still got some of his agenda completed through his dictionary. If you love learning about language I highly recommend this book to you.

We all know English spelling doesn’t make any sense. After all, every year, in spelling bees across the English-speaking world, students struggle through such monstrosities as psammophile and vivisepulture for the amusement of their parents and teachers. But if everybody knows English spelling is broken, why haven’t we done anything about it? Author Gabe Henry’s Enough is Enuf, shows that many have tried, time after time, over the centuries. But this just raises a further question: Why haven’t any of these efforts been successful? This book won’t really tell you, but you will be having such a good time you won’t really care.

The root cause English’s spelling problems is that the language has 44 sounds but only 26 letters. Starting in the Middle Ages, Henry takes readers through the various attempts to change English spelling and those who resisted them. The cast of characters is colorful. Some are well known, such as Benjamin Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt, and some are more obscure, such as Isaac Pitman and Eliza Burnz . It includes names you expect to see in a book about spelling (such as dictionary writers Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster) and others you might not (such as Mormon prophet Brigham Young). Henry also covers how, even though most spelling reforms have fallen far short of their goal, we see their influence everywhere - in advertisements and brand names, in the differences between the English of the UK and USA, and in the abbreviated, emoji filled world of X/Twitter.

Henry’s history of English’s spelling troubles gives the impression that the language does what it wants. When traditionalists try to freeze English in time, the pronunciation moves out from under their feet. When populist reformers try to make spelling accessible, they are mocked by the press for copying the speech of the uneducated. But when elites try to impose a rational scheme on spelling, the common people won’t let go of the old familiar forms. Spelling reform is a game you can’t win. As Noah Webster said, language is “like the course of the Mississippi… it possesses a momentum quite irresistible. Words and expressions will be forced into use, in spite of all the exertions of all the writers in the world.”

That’s what I got out of it anyway; overall, the book is somewhat light on analysis of why some reforms stuck but most did not. Henry will tell us, for example, that the yellow journalism of the early 1900’s mocked and eventually defeated Teddy Roosevelt’s ventures into simplified spelling. But why exactly were they so hostile? And was this hostility the same kind of hostility that other reformers faced? We don’t get much of a discussion of such questions. This is not a scholarly tome. Much of the research for the book has been left behind the scenes. While Henry clearly knows his subject well, he’s not going to be throwing quotes and sources at you left and right. For some readers this won’t be an issue, but others, myself included, would have preferred some more emphasis on where the book’s details come from and what it all means.

What the book lacks in reasons and references, it makes up for in all the fun facts you will learn along the way. Did you know the word OK comes the abbreviation of ‘oll korrect’ - a joke spelling of 1830’s newspapers? That the creator of the Dewey Decimal system later ended his career under a haze of scandal? That linguist Louise Pound is the only woman to be inducted into the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame? Along with such fun facts, the book gives many examples of the strange spellings proposed over the years, such as Ben Franklin’s “kannaat,” Noah Webster’s “fyzzical,” and Isaac Pitman’s “pεεpl at wurk.”

As with all popular books based around fun facts, there will always be a creeping doubt tugging at the back of your mind: ‘Is this true?’ This is not to say I accuse Henry of any kind of deliberate falsehood, but I worry that his light, breezy approach sometimes slides into inaccuracy. For example: early on, he says, “Our spelling is so vexing, in fact, that even William Shakespeare misspelled his name—repeatedly.” That’s not quite right and doesn’t even fit with the rest of the book. As this very history shows, English spelling took a long time to standardize, including the spelling of names. Shakespeare could spell very well for his time. In fact, he could spell in any way he pleased. Henry knows this, but in trying to keep the facts fun and the tone irreverent, sometimes he gets carried away.

Yet this nitpicking aside, it is easy to recommend Enough is Enuf to anyone who loves the English language in all its weirdness. You will learn something you didn’t know and have a good laugh. And sometimes that’s enuf.

Thanks to Dey Street Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Gabe Henry's "Enough is Enuf" is a delightful and surprisingly informative romp through the centuries-long, often comical, and ultimately persistent quest for simplified English spelling. Don't let the academic-sounding premise fool you; this isn't a dry linguistic treatise. Instead, Henry delivers a brisk and witty 500-year tour of the Simplified Spelling Movement, populated by a fascinating cast of characters – from the pragmatic Benjamin Franklin to the literary giants Mark Twain and C.S. Lewis, and even the opinionated George Bernard Shaw.

The book cleverly frames the inherent absurdity of English orthography – the silent 'g' in 'gnome,' the unpredictable vowels, the sheer illogicality that has plagued generations of writers. Henry uses these inconsistencies not as a source of frustration, but as a springboard for a humorous exploration of the many attempts to rectify them. We learn about the passionate, sometimes eccentric, individuals who dared to declare "Enough is enuf!" and proposed radical (and often hilariously impractical) changes to our written language.

Henry skillfully weaves together historical anecdotes, biographical snippets, and linguistic explanations without ever becoming bogged down in jargon. He paints vivid pictures of these "rebel wordsmiths," highlighting their motivations, their proposed reforms (think "thru" for "through" and "laf" for "laugh"), and the often-fierce resistance they encountered. The book is peppered with amusing examples of simplified spellings and the sometimes-outlandish arguments for and against them, making it an engaging read even for those who haven't given much thought to the vagaries of English spelling.

What makes "Enough is Enuf" particularly engaging is its lighthearted tone. Henry approaches the subject with a playful curiosity, never mocking the reformers but rather highlighting the inherent humor in their ambitious endeavors and the stubborn resilience of traditional spelling. The book acknowledges the well-intentioned efforts and the logical arguments behind simplification while also recognizing the deeply ingrained nature of our current system.

The narrative seamlessly transitions from historical figures and their pamphlets to the modern digital age. Henry astutely observes how technology – from the character limits of early texts to the informal language of Twitter and the visual shorthand of emojis – is, in its own way, contributing to a natural simplification of English. This contemporary perspective adds a satisfying layer to the historical overview, suggesting that perhaps the long-fought battle for easier spelling is subtly being won in the digital realm.

In conclusion, "Enough is Enuf" is a surprisingly captivating and genuinely funny exploration of a topic that might initially seem dry. Gabe Henry has crafted a concise and entertaining history of a persistent linguistic dream, populated by memorable personalities and filled with insightful observations about the ever-evolving nature of language. It's a perfect read for anyone who has ever cursed a silent letter or wondered why English spelling seems designed to trip us up. You'll likely finish the book with a newfound appreciation for the quirks of our language and a chuckle at the enduring human desire for a little more linguistic logic.

Not too dry but also not flippant about the topic to where you question the validity. It did feel like it was dragging in part 2, but I can’t pinpoint why.

I’m curious about the readability for non-native English speakers and people who prefer audio books since the phonetic spellings are so vital and not all are translated.

When I saw this book was coming out, I knew I had to read it and am so glad that I did. There were so many things in there that I hadn't thought about for so long, like the joke about the kid who tries to spell fish and comes up with ghoti. I had to stop and think when the author said there are seven different ways to pronounce ough.

I loved reading the history of the different people who are trying to simplify our spelling. Then, of course, men arguing over whose spelling would be better. I really loved all the political cartoons mocking President Roosevelt. Good political cartoons are extremely undervalued.

This is an amazing book!!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

Like most non-native speakers, I can attest that English is hard. Why can’t you not just write it like it sounds? This hilarious book provides some answers, from the history of the language to its uses and some misguided attempts to simplify its spelling. Impeccably researched, it is packed with fascinating historical facts, including some alphabets created to try to make it more accessible and easier to learn. I could relate to the parts that dealt with the difficulties faced by foreigners, and it is spot on. Many of the questions raised here don’t have a definite answer, just educated guesses, but that’s not the point. A few chapters seemed a little dry for me, but in general it was very entertaining. It is also very funny (the famous songs transcribed using some of the writing systems analyzed in the book were especially witty). The author’s predictions of what the future holds are fascinating, especially considering how much we rely on autocorrect these days. Now, if I could figure out how to spell "analyze"…
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Dey Street Books.

As a former English major and current Librarian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've always been so fascinated by language and how it has changed and evolved throughout time. I had no idea that well-known scholars made sincere and researched arguments about the value of a "simplified" language. What the world might look like today if they had succeeded!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

this was so fun!!! I feel like it was tailor-made for me.
Gabe Henry combines a niche slice of humor with witty writing and some fun bonus content at the end of this book. I read an advanced ebook copy and can tell that this is going to be beautiful in its finished, physical form—from the formatting of the ebook, it looks like this will have call-outs/quotes/pictures that make "enough is enuf" a contender for my coffee table.
such a fascinating, forgotten piece of history

I LOVED this book! I am not a nonfiction person by any means, but I have a partner who is constantly questioning and struggling with spelling, and why things are spelled the way they are. I asked for this galley almost as a joke, to get some answers to his questions that seemed crazy, but I got SO much more. I loved seeing the samples of old writing, the different ways of spelling, knowing how much of our language today is just a weird culmination of everyone trying to figure out what in the world English should be. HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone interested in etymology, orthography, advertising, writers, activists...You know, I think there are bits of this book that could hook almost anyone. Excited to get my hands on the physical copy at release!

This is not a book intended to be read in a sit-down, mug of hot chocolate, cozy blanket way. It is not even a non-fiction copy to pull out at a dull dinner party in hopes of impressing the dental assistant next to you. I believe that this book would be best packaged as a coffee table book, and that unless you often battle with your internal grammar Nazi on whether to correct your aging father's use of "insted" or the like, you don't particularly need to read this. This is not to say I didn't learn anything, and so, if you are interested in joining the ranks of people who learn of simplified spelling, then let it simmer in the back of their mind for fear of social ridicule if you attempt to partake in the movement, go right ahead. Perhaps, tho, there r other topikz that would b a beter use of brain space.