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Rating: 
Summary: Questionable
Review: I am not a native speaker of any language except English, so I cannot evaluate the veracity of these words. The entries look interesting, though often verbose. The chapters are not very helpful, though I don't know how else you would lay out a book like this. That brings up the index as the only remaining tool to tie the book together. However, the author has unfortunately used the index to promote the sources of her words (this could and should have been a line-entry under each word). With no way to find the words you are looking for; nothing to tie the multitude of entries of this book together, the best I can give it is two stars. Without an exceptional index this book cannot stand as a "wordsmith's reference"; indeed, the best it can be is interesting or quirky. There must be better books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful words from the world
Review: I love languages. Each one has their own words and phrases that are entirely untranslatable without several sentences of explanation. As I have learned Italian over the last few years (in order to converse with my wife's relatives) I have found certain phrases in English that just don't translate into Italian directly. Now the tables are turned, as this book provides me with some Italian phrases that have a much deep meaning than might be imagined. The author, Howard Rheingold, has collected words for a lot of different languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Italian, French and even Hawaiian. In fact, one of my favorites comes from that language. ho'oponopono (HO-OH-poh-no-poh-no). It means "solving a problem by talking it out", something that I do on a regular basis (even if I am only talking to myself!) Italian gives us attaccabottoni ("a doleful bore who buttonholes people and tells sad, pointless tales.") I have run into a few of these in my life, so it is nice to have a new word with which to reference them. (SMILE) Each time I flip through the book I find more and more interesting words. Rheingold encourages you to start using the words in your vocabulary and I think I just might try. That way, the next time a friend bangs his or her thumb with a hammer you can reply "uffda", a Swedish "word of sympathy, used when someone else is in pain."
Rating:
Summary: A fun and interesting reference for language lovers
Review: This book is a lot of fun and well put together. Approximately 150 foreign words and phrases are divided into 11 sections, including family, business, politics, beauty, psychology, love, etc. One or two pages are used to describe each word, giving the pronunciation as well as its use in the native tongue and applicability to English. Words are taken primarily from the Romance languages -- French, Italian and Spanish -- but also from Chinese, Japanese, Navajo, Sanskrit, Bantu and at least a dozen others. There is an interesting introduction, a bibliography and an index. In the introduction the author mentions that he culled these samples from a list of hundreds; this might be an instance where an accompanying web site giving all of the words considered might be a lot of fun and very useful. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Critiquing this book
Review: This book, written by Howard Rheingold, displays a list of words in which he borrows from other languages. They are unable to be translated, but he gives examples where they can be used often in the English language. He published this book through Sarabande Books in Louisville, Kentucky, which is a non-profit publisher. A word I found interesting was 'Bettschwere', which means "a state of being too ponderous for anything but sleep." This word is a noun from the German language. I often see people throughout the school day dozing off, even though they should be learning. Another interesting word was 'Palatyi', meaning "a mythical monster that scratches at the door." Palatyi is from the Bantu language and is often mentioned in folk stories of West Africa. Bricoleur, Wabi, Fusto, and Ocurrencia are other words that also interested me. Rheingold gives a description of each word that lasts only a few paragraphs. This book is easily read, but focuses on a more educated society who will appreciate the use of words in English.
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