The Babel Message

Quite simply, and quite ridiculously, one of the funniest and most illuminating books I have ever read. I thought I was obsessive, but Keith Kahn-Harris is playing a very different sport. He really has discovered the whole world in an egg. -- Simon Garfield This is a wonderful book. A treasure trove of mind-expanding insights into language and humanity encased in a deliciously quirky, quixotic quest. I loved it. Warning: this will keep you reading. -- Ann Morgan, author of Reading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer I would warn everyone to read and keep this beautifully written book ... Keith explores the world of language - what it is, what it means and how we use it. Keith's precisely written prose celebrates the wonderful imprecision of language in all its glory. -- James Ward, founder of The Boring Conference and author of Adventures in Stationery: A Journey Through Your Pencil Case The Babel Message is a gloriously inflected record of an obsession ... [It] manages to teach us a great deal about language - its protean energy and its slipperiness - but also makes us properly laugh (a rare Venn diagram, believe me). ... Kahn-Harris's fan-boy passion for the gorgeous surface of written language and his own skill in deploying it make the book a complete delight. -- John Mitchinson, author of The QI Book of General Ignorance In this unlikely story of a quixotic translation, Keith Kahn-Harris illuminates how language-learning can hone our minds, strengthen our empathy, and lead us all to justice. Read this book - and immerse yourself in the raw pleasure of linguistic diversity. -- Daniel Bgre Udell, Executive Director, Wikitongues

DR KEITH KAHN-HARRIS is a sociologist and author, based in London. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a Senior Lecturer at Leo Baeck College. He also makes time for pursuing other interests outside the community, including extreme metal music and the warning messages in Kinder Surprise Eggs. The author of nine books, his most recent publications are Strange Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and the Limits of Diversity, The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language (Icon) and (co-authored with Rob Stothard) What Does A Jew Look Like? Find out more at kahn-harris.org.