Ever wonder why we say “I’m in a meeting” but at a party? Or something is underwater, when it’s actually in water? Pinker dives into how the language we use every day reveals the hidden workings of our minds. I’ve read several of Pinker’s books over the years and have always marveled at his deep analysis—this one does not disappoint. He explores everything from why certain words make us cringe to how different cultures think about time and space through their vocabulary. And while written years before the popularity of today’s large language models (LLMs), Pinker’s explanations on the connection between how we speak and how we think, can lead the astute reader to deep insights on AI. 

At 400+ pages, the book can look intimidating, but Pinker’s writing style and sharp observations keep you moving at a surprisingly swift pace. What makes this book brilliant is that Pinker takes complex ideas about cognition and linguistics and makes them genuinely entertaining—you’ll find yourself noticing your own word choices differently. It’s the kind of book that gives you great dinner party conversation material while actually making you smarter about how your brain works. Maybe a little like our newsletters.