"; if(is_file("header.php")) include "header.php"; else include "../header.php"; ?>

Sticklers Unite! "Sticklers Unite!" is the rallying call of author Lynne Truss, who appeals to like-minded readers to share her outrage. If you've ever seen a misplaced apostrophe to indicate a plural (e.g., "Book's for Sale") and have wanted to scream, this book is definitely for you! The entire style of the book is over-the-top, thus it is intended solely for those who feel quite strongly about punctuation issues. In author Frank McCourt's forward, he refers to Lynne Truss's "bone-dry humor," and there is definitely plenty of that; "bone-dry sarcasm" might even be more appropriate, as Truss compares those who notice punctuation gaffes to the little boy from the movie THE SIXTH SENSE who could see dead people (and don't forget, he sees them "ALL THE TIME"). As far as her actual recommendations go, I found Truss's rules and guidelines to be pretty consistent with what I learned both in school and during brief stints as writing and grammar tutors. One point of confusion arises from the fact that Truss is British: unfortunately, the British and American systems of punctuation do not always coincide. In particular, after reading the section on use of punctuation with quotation marks, I remained perplexed about exactly what was appropriate here in the US. Overall, however, I found this book to be not only an amusing read but also a validating one, perfect for a stickler like myself.