CUSS CONTROL was published by a division of Random House in
April 2000, and was an immediate sensation. After less than
two months, it went into its third printing!
Jim
O'Connor's humorous yet thought-provoking book expanded the
media attention he was already attracting through the Cuss
Control Academy. He has appeared on more than 85 TV shows
(including Oprah), interviewed on nearly 600 radio stations,
and featured in more than 450 magazines and newspapers, including
twice in TIME magazine and twice in USA Today. Today, he is
recognized as one of the few experts on why swearing has become
so commonplace. He continues to be interviewed whenever members
of the media find reason to report on the growing use of profanity
and its impact on our culture and the way we communicate.
Comments
and praise from the media follow this description of the book.
Cuss
Control;
The
Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing
by James O'Connor
($12.95, Three Rivers Press)
It this book really necessary? !#&*@% yes! Cuss Control
takes a pointed look at the epidemic of potty mouth that has
turned America into one big locker roomand offers practical
suggestions for cleaning up our exclamatory act, and creating
civility and a healthier society.
America has developed an addiction to swearing, and Jim O'Connor
has made it his mission to help us break the habit. O'Connor
doesn't call for the total elimination of cussing, just for
its confinement to situations where extreme emotion (think
hammer, think thumb) or poetic license (think Rhett Butler's
"Frankly my dear") demand it. His program for easing us off
the gutter-talk highway involves both an expansion of our
working vocabulary (there are other words) and a lessening
of our tendency to see the world as a hostile and frustrating
place.
With exercises and tips, as well as thoughtful reflection
on how we've worked ourselves up into such a snit, Cuss
Control is a refreshing celebration of the joys of a civil
tongue. We swear.
To order a copy, go to Amazon.com
or check with your local bookstore
If you would like to make comments or have any questions,
go to our contact page.
WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING ABOUT CUSS CONTROL
Christin Kellogg, The Washington Times:
"While Mr. O'Connor insists that he is not trying to eliminate
all swearing, he would like to see a conscious effort made
to curtail it. His book describes how the bad language that
swearers assume is accepted is really only tolerated. It is
a blot on everyone's reputation."
Mimi Avins, The Los Angeles Times:
"Like most of us, O'Connor grew up swearing but tired of it
when he felt its public use was becoming excessive. He says
most people don't realize they could be damaging their relationships
and influencing the way other people perceive them."
Rory Evans, Allure magazine:
"In his book, O'Connor sets forth a plan for cutting back
on cussing. He recommends that you stop habitually swearing,
and should also exercise restraint in emotional situations.
You will be making a noble sacrifice, bettering the environment
for many generations."
Jacquielyn Floyd, The Dallas Morning News:
"O'Connor is a public relations guy whose book challenges
people to give up cursing. Personally, I agree with him. Cursing
is tacky, offensive, pointless and makes you look like a lout."
Fred Bruning, Newsday:
"O'Connor is not likely to achieve a truly swearless society,
but, he says, anything would be an improvement. He says the
whole issue has to do with civility."
Michelle Slatalla, Time magazine:
"O'Connor says parents who came of age in the '60s and '70s
decided to do what they wanted to do and say what they wanted
to say. So today our children are swearing more and swearing
younger."
Redbook magazine:
"Parents can't expect their kids to stop swearing unless they
do, too, says James V. O'Connor, author of Cuss Control. Kids
will imitate not only your language, but also the bad attitude
it conveys."
William Norich, House & Garden:
"James O'Connor is a man whose time has definitely arrived.
He considers swearing a bad habit that anyone can, and should,
break, like smoking."
Karen Peterson, USA TODAY:
"Obscenities have become a verbal crutch, and swearing is
almost always a negative, says James O'Connor, the anti-cussing
crusader and author. He says profanity is lazy language that
reveals more about the swearer than the subject of the cursing."
Diane White, the Boston Globe:
"In Cuss Control, James V. O'Connor writes that at the rate
we are going, swearing will be so common that it will be about
as much fun as a nudist camp. Like institutionalized nudity,
swearing is losing its mystery, its power to shock. It is
so ubiquitous that it's boring, and that's a shame, because
cursing has its uses."
Lenita Powers, Reno Gazette-Journal
"O'Connor claims that a lot of swearing is just lazy language.
By eliminating the swear words, people can communicate more
precisely while projecting a more intelligent and positive
image."
Ellen Creager, Knight Ridder News Service:
"The best reason to stop swearing, says O'Connor, is to raise
other people's opinion of you. Others might not say anything
when you swear, but they are judging your personality and
attitude."
Jim Shea, The Hartford Courant:
"It might be tempting to dismiss O'Connor as a crusader. But
he comes across as rational, down to earth and possessing
an easy sense of humor."
Deneen L. Brown, The Washington Post:
"O'Connor is a nice man. He used to curse himself until he
thought about it. He argues that all the unleashed cuss words
are chipping away at our civility."
Deanna Isaacs, the Reader's Guide:
"It's easy to think positively about O'Connor. He's funny
and he's touched a nerve with a lot of people. And it all
makes sense, doesn't it? Who can argue with a plea for a return
to civility?"
Amy Reynolds Alexander, Investor's Business Daily:
"O'Connor's book is a humorous but effective guide to controlling
one's use of foul language. Replacements words are just Band-Aids,
he writes. If you swear, try to determine why you feel the
need to let filth fly."
Linda Peterson, Biography Magazine:
"Cursing is so pervasive it has lost its shock value-so why
do people still do it? It's extremely lazy language, says
O'Connor. He adds that we're complaining because we are impatient
and intolerant. We allow ourselves to be frustrated over every
little thing."
Janie Magruder, The Arizona Republic:
"O'Connor says the goal is not to become a person who doesn't
swear, but a person who doesn't need to swear."
Cosmopolitan magazine:
"How to break the high-schoolish speech habit? Jim O'Connor
says speak more slowly and don't be afraid to pause and recast
your thoughts instead of using worthless words."
HR magazine:
"According to O'Connor, casual swearing may be perceived as
a sign of immaturity or weak character. He says employers
want workers who are upbeat, can deal with daily aggravations
and confront problems with an I-can-fix-it attitude."
Christopher Noxon, The Los Angeles Times:
"To O'Connor, curbing your cursing is akin to fighting crime
by ticketing vandals and loiterersfix the little things
and you prevent the big things from ever happening."
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