We learn about the history, the growing popularity during World War II and today's usage of the F word. However the word never actually makes an appearance in the book - it's either "The Word" or just a blank space where it should be. A few things were funny, but mostly it read like an English lesson. The word was just inserted into many different sentences, many different ways (adjectives, verbs, etc.)

Props to this man though, a 94-year-old veteran and now author. That's pretty        in' cool! ( )

This is a great book about when the WORD had literally come into existence, and when it gained popularity. No, the WORD had never been outright written in the book. But, the history of it was written about.

This is by no way a crass, no class type of college funny book. Although it has its humor, it is like a tutorial for what words go with each other, and what doesn't. It explains things, and really educates you on the true meaning of the different ways one uses the WORD.

Thank you Ben Parker, Independent. Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Members Titles and NetGalley for giving me a free e-ARC of this book to read and give my honest review. ( )

***This book was reviewed for Netgalley.***

Oh my. What a gem this was! Parker’s A Field Guide to the F Word is a tongue-in-cheek look at the evolution and versatility of one particular curse word in the English language. According to Parker, the first known use of the ‘f’ word came about in the 1500s, but it was not until World War II that there was an explosion and expansion of its use, mainly by servicemen.

I don’t think I appreciated the true versatility of the ‘f’ word until I read this. It's a word that can fit just about any part of speech. Its usage and inflections, such as stressing the -ing at the end, instead of the more jocular -in, can denote anger rather than annoyance or even mirth. I particularly enjoyed the section regarding the interchangeable nature of ‘f’ with damn or hell. I also enjoyed learning the progression and transformation of snafu as an acronym to both a verb and noun all on its own, still containing the connotations of that original acronym.

Through it all, Parker laments the rather trite frequency of use of the ‘f’ word by today’s younger generations. He isn't wrong, though. This particular word is used in so many different ways.I loved the illustrations throughout the book. The parrot really made it amusing, in all its various guises. The only thing that really bothered me was that the word was not mentioned at all. Using a replacement instead of omitting the word altogether from example sentences/phrases would have flowed better, even a nonsense word. A nonsense word probably would be even more amusing.

If you are a language buff, a linguist, or just somebody who likes humour and word-play, be sure to check out Ben Parker’s Field Guide to the F Word. You’ll feckin’ enjoy it! ( )

A Field Guide to the F Word by Ben Parker is a fun overview of the many ways The Word has been used, and misused, in American society. There are some interesting tidbits here, actual grammatical explanations for 'proper' uses of the word as different parts of speech. Needless to say The Word is not actually used in the book, so the only way that you'll be offended by The Word will be from your own utterances of it.

There is a lot of humor, not so much laugh out loud but rather the chuckle from recognizing usages you may be familiar with (from books, of course, since we certainly don't use The Word ourselves, right?).

I think this would make a nice addition to any library that includes simple humorous books. This would also make a wonderful gift, even as a gag gift on occasions where a slim volume like this would be too small. By omitting the F-word entirely this is appropriate for most readers.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

A hysterical and insightful analysis of the use of the F word, from its flowering in WW2 to the present day. A very quick read and completely worth your time. The author is 94 years old and was at Pearl Harbor, so he knows something is *ed up when he *in' sees it. Highly highly recommended. ( )