Shocked and Awed

This unusual and often polemical dictionary is Halliday's (former ICREA Research Professor, Barcelona Inst. for International Studies; 100 Myths About the Middle East) last contribution to his extensive publishing record on the history of the modern Middle East, as he died in 2010. Assembled here in entries that range in length from a couple of sentences to a short paragraph are words and phrases that sprung up in English and other languages following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as their meanings and contexts for their use. The work demonstrates how language can be adapted to new circumstances in both formal and informal ways. Unfortunately, the book's thematic, 12-chapter arrangement—entries are arranged alphabetically within the chapters—reduces its usability. Cross-references are bolded, but in most cases there is no signal as to which chapter the term is in, and many entries are not included in the index. In the selection of terms and, more particularly, within the definitions, Halliday expresses his opposition to Western, particularly U.S., policies and actions following 9/11. BOTTOM LINE While this is an interesting work from a linguistic viewpoint, it does not add much to the study of the War on Terror or the Western response to global terrorism. Not recommended for general library collections.—Ryan Johnson, Univ. of Mississippi, Oxford, MS