Category Archives: What People Are Reading

Review of Conquering the Canon by Scott Kaiser

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Ed Battistella

Scott Kaiser aimed to be part of all of Shakespeare’s play—38 of them, if you don’t count The Regin of King Edward III. It’s a quest he started on in high school and with what must be a much-dog-eared copy … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading, May-June 2026

Posted on June 29, 2026 by Ed Battistella

I’ve taken a break from academic reading for much of May and June, preparing myself for summer mode: Revenge Prey by John Sanford – Russian spies and an engaging CIA agent. I always enjoy Sanford, but did not feel this … Continue reading →

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Review of How Deeply Human is Language: Chomsky, The Brain, and the AI Fantasy  by Yosef Grodzinsky

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Ed Battistella

Review of How Deeply Human is Language: Chomsky, The Brain, and the AI Fantasy  by Yosef Grodzinsky In this short and lucid work, Grodzinsky (Director of the Neurolinguistics Lab at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for the Brain Sciences) … Continue reading →

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Review The Politics of Language by David Beaver and Jason Stanley

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Ed Battistella

The Politics of Language by David Beaver and Jason Stanley Published in 2025, The Politics of Language, by David Beaver and Jason Stanley convincingly makes the case that most speech has ideological meaning and that the connotations of words evoke … Continue reading →

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