I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Prepare to laugh and educate yourself as readers are transported on an expletive journey through author Gary Marinin’s “Know Your Shit”, a unique language humor non-fiction read!

The Synopsis

Know Your Shit is a complete guide to everything you want to know about the word (and probably a lot you didn’t). It uses pop culture and personal anecdotes to explain every possible use of “shit” in North American English to provide humor to native speakers and a practical guide for ESL/EFL. It also explores the psychology of swearing in general, the history of it being accepted in the mainstream and the battles it took to get there, and some etymology where possible. 

The Review

The author did such a fantastic job of balancing out the humor and wit of the subject matter with thought-provoking work on eliminating the stigma surrounding expletive language as a whole. The author writes in a way that blends very researched and clinical viewpoints on the study of language as a whole, and humor that keeps the utterance of these words light and hilarious at the same time.

What stood out to me was not only the history and study of language as a whole that this book took readers into, but the way the author delved into well-known or popular phrases or sayings that incorporates “shit” was so funny and interesting to read. As someone who has always believed and felt that words hold much more power and weight than people give them credit for, it was so great to see a book that challenges the negativity that so many people associate with a term and focuses instead on the intention behind the words being said.

The Verdict

A hilarious, entertaining, and memorable read, author Gary Marinin’s “Know Your Shit” is a must-read, non-fiction, and humor book. Insightful and engaging, the author does a marvelous job of both humoring the reader and creating an interesting topic of disunion that highlights the amount of research that went into this read. Even the study of this word’s uses within a North American and Canadian setting (with the promise of other regions in the future), made this a brilliant book. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

 Gary Marinin was born in Worcester, MA, and is a digital nomad and world traveler, having lived in Macedonia, Kosovo, and Mexico. He has a B.S. in sociology from Worcester State University where he got his first taste in writing through several independent study courses and internships. To further develop his writing and ideas, he took master classes from Margaret Atwood and Steve Martin and read several books on developing screenplays. He freelances on Medium and likes to write about topics that he’s passionate about, which vary from workers’ rights to women’s rights and everything in between. Know Your Shit is his debut book, but there are several others in the works ranging from psychology and linguistics to general humor about his cats.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-marinin-b701663b/

https://www.facebook.com/TheShittionary