Shocked and Awed: A Dictionary of the War on Terror by Fred Halliday

by Fred Halliday

Part reference, part polemic, part compelling snapshot of our times, "Shocked and Awed" is a bristling arsenal of potent words. Fred Halliday's unorthodox dictionary defines hundreds of words and phrases used about 9/11, the wars and other events that have followed it, and ongoing issues linked to those events. He shows how the War on Terror, itself a fascinating linguistic construct, has brought us not just new words, such as "Gitmo," and new imports, such as "jihad," but also new ways of using existing language, such as "extraordinary rendition." His definitions include religious, political, and military terms; famous quotes and phrases; cultural phenomena and personalities; euphemisms of war; important Middle Eastern vocabulary; stereotypes and insults; and much more. Taken together, these words tell a new story about the power and malleability of language and its important role in the central conflicts of our day. An essential reference, "Shocked and Awed" will keep readers informed and up-to-date on the global vocabulary war being waged around us in the twenty-first century.

Genres: Middle East

Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Simon Frederick Peter Halliday, FBA (22 February 1946 in Dublin, Ireland – 26 April 2010 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) was an Irish writer and academic specialising in International Relations and the Middle East, with particular reference to the Cold War, Iran, and the Arabian peninsula.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I found this book captivating, but gradually the novelty of its presentation began to wear on me. The dictionary style means that it can't go deep into any of the topics it raises, and occasionally it isn't even so clear why certain terms were selected. More and more seemed forced into the mold as it went on. Filler perhaps?

Don't get me wrong this was an interesting read, just not as deep or broad as I might have hoped. It nevertheless gave me a better understanding of many political terms that have been bandied about for the last decade.

My final analysis is that it's not so much a reference book as a pop polemic. Still a few of the entries were quite enlightening. Worth checking out, if that kind of thing interests you.

[Ashwath · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting read. its not a conventional read on terrorism. its a good book to read if one is reading about terrorism for the first time.