As a person who is fascinated by language and the nuances related to our communications - Dr. Chaika's book is a must-read. Her chapters on bilingualism are particularly relevant to today's debate on bilingual education and immigration. She makes an excellent argument as to why we do need a common language to unify our country while stressing the idea that diversity is indeed not only desirable but necessary. One of my favorite aspects of her book are the exercises that she provides at the end of each chapter. As a former teacher, I can absolutely see this text being utilized in a high school classroom with lots of exciting possibilities. ( )

Updated considerably later, but still relevant, but not as comprehensive as the later editions. ( )