Quack This Way: David Foster Wallace & Bryan A. Garner Talk Language and Writing

I am a DF Wallace-alholic, so any book that promulgates David's wisdom is, to me, a must-read. This is a must-read. Setting that aside, though, I would also consider this a must-read for anyone who wants to be an impactful writer. Dave's insights on what makes for effective writing are based on many years of his writing novels and nonfiction pieces that opened our minds in new ways, made us laugh, made is think, and sometimes scared us stiff. His key insight is one you have probably heard from him before: write for the reader and respect who you are writing for. Even though I had heard these chunks of wisdom from him before, it is still worth the price of the book to have them packed into the transcript of an interview in which the interviewer is none other than Bryan Garner. Bryan asked Great questions. David provided Superb answers. This is a quick read, so quick that you could, as I did, initially conclude that this has the highest cost per word of any book you've ever purchased. The type is fairly big (not uncomfortably so) and the transcript format is such that the text on a typical page takes up not much more than half the page. When I first thought about this, I thought, Well, Garner *is* a lawyer, after all. But then I decided who cares? I got everything out of the book I could hope for AND Garner is giving all the proceeds from the book to The Harry Ranson Center, which houses the DFW library. So now, after thinking it through, my purchase was an investment, not a cost. (Also, Garner is very big on selecting a typography that is reader-friendly, and it turns out that a relatively large text with relatively narrow content field is the best typography.) Great book. Many thanks to Bryan Garner for putting it together.

This is a transcript of an interview between Bryan Garner and David Foster Wallace. The original interview lasted less than 90 minutes, and won't take you as long to read. But I've just completed my first read, and I've highlighted so many nuggets that I am certain I will want to go back and re-read this a few more times. The conversation between Garner and Wallace is riveting - revealing as much about Wallace's thoughts on writing as it does his own peculiar personality. One of many gems I enjoyed: After commenting about how he used to laugh with his mother about the ridiculousness of the phrase "Save up to 50% and more!" in a local advertisement, Wallace notes that it is "possible that [the phrase] has been shown statistically to increase your ability to memorize the 50%. The point is not that this is okay. I think it's damaging to the language as a beautiful thing, and to interhuman communication, but I've stopped thinking that it's just idiots who weren't paying attention in eighth grade and don't know how to do this stuff." I am grateful that Garner has provided us with this wonderful interview. Complete with its heartfelt introduction, it is a great addition to Wallace's legacy. One can only hope Garner takes Wallace up on his suggestion to write Garner's Dictionary of Dialectal English Usage: "[A]dvertising English, bureaucratic English, corporate English, hipster English . . . because I will bet that just trying to figure out some of the codes and motives behind them would just be fascinating." If he does, there is no doubt about the book's dedication.

If you can get past the St. David crap, which I completely urge you to do, this is one of the best and clearest books you can find for some very cogent and clear-eyed tips on what makes good writing, and why someone ought to keep a style guide around. I love Wallace's work. I hate it that he committed suicide, and I hate it that, now that he's dead, he gets the reverent treatment that he does. Suicide is one of the cruelest things anyone can ever do to another person. So I find it hard to swallow the cover, most of all. That's why the four stars. I also love and admire Garner's work. The combination of a smart interviewer with someone who knows a thing or two about writing as subject makes for a great guide for people who might want to learn how to write. The things that made Wallace's writing good, but, probably more so his teaching, i.e, his ability to cut to the quick in a charming way and state things really plainly, such as very basic stuff that his undergraduates might never have thought about, like, "the reader doesn't care about you") are evident in abundance here. If you're expecting another Infinite Jest, you're not going to find it here. If you're someone who has to have every last little bit of wallaciana it's possible to find, see a therapist. If you want to refresh your memory on what makes good writing, or learn it firsthand, this is for you.

Quack This Way is an absolute delight! David Foster Wallace is one of my favorite authors, and what more can you say about Bryan Garner other than Usage Dictionary? Mr. Wallace goes deeply into the nuances of writing as well as the English language with Mr. Garner asking all the right questions. If you are a writer, this book is a must read. And even if you aren't, you'll end up learning so much about the English language that you'll wonder why this book isn't required reading in every school. I think there comes a point in every writer's career when they realize they either have to get serious about their work or move on to another occupation. If you've come to that point... if you are a serious author, you needs serious books. Quack This Way is like Garner's Modern American Usage in that respect. Every serious author needs to own both these books, to study them, to soak up the information being offered.

A short but fascinating read. Those interested in DFW or English usage will be thrilled. I have already read it twice and will return again.

Not worth the price

If you care about how you write, this is a good read. It's an encouraging companion to books such as Writing That Works and Plain Words. It explores the why more than the how, but is short and conversational so doesn't become dull.

Self-congratulatory and ultimately disappointing.

Being a fan of DFW, I was surprised that I had only recently heard of this interview. It is excellent. Full of advice on what it really means to write for an audience, summed up in this statement from page 38: "I am no, in and of myself, interesting to a reader. If I want to seem interesting, work has to be done in order to make myself interesting." The authors place the onus on the writer to achieve clarity. You can read it in an hour, but there are a lot of quotable pages that students of language and writing will always come back to. I'd say this is for DFW fans, mainly. I cannot imagine it having a wider audience, but anything is possible. Anybody can enjoy it, though.