Dear Bookworms,
This summer, I stumbled across a book called The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing The World, One Correction At A Time at a library book sale. As a writer, editor, and general lover of all things English, I was immediately drawn to it. Written by Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson, The Great Typo Hunt is a nonfiction account of a road trip, conceived by Deck, to make a circular journey around the continental United States with the express purpose of searching out and correcting English-language errors.
Combining his interest in a cross-country road trip with his editorial giftings, Jeff Deck conceived the vision for TEAL, the Typo Eradication Advancement League and began recruiting accomplices to join him in his mission to rectify typos across the nation. Told from Deck’s perspective, The Great Typo Hunt chronicles the adventures of TEAL, from conception to execution and in doing so presents much more than one might expect.
I have to confess that I struggled through some of this book. While Deck is a likeable narrator, much of his mission is unclear. Although bold in the creation of his scheme, he is awkward in the execution of it and struggles to articulate the reasoning behind the mission. More seriously, however, there is an assumption of perspective about the typos. Frequently, when describing the errors found, Deck quotes the text or includes a photograph of it and then proceeds in the story without explaining the error and why it is wrong, assuming that his readers are as in tune to the errors as he is. In addition, the style of the writing is a tad grandiose. While I appreciate rich language and a strong vocabulary, I did find it to be distracting after a while. Neither of these things are a big issue really, except that, ironically, both make this book into what is probably an unappealing read to anyone who is not already an English-language enthusiast.
Thus, although this typo-hunting provides the framework for the storytelling, I personally feel that the real heart of the tale lies in his relationship with the co-author Benjamin Herson. Although nowhere near as enthusiastic about typos initially, Herson agrees to join Deck on the first leg of this journey and, ultimately, becomes more invested than he expected. In fact, it is only later in the journey and with the help of Herson, that Deck truly defines the cause behind his mission. As Deck crests the approximate half-way point of the trip, he undergoes a sort of mid-mission crisis, questioning the undertaking and his own belief in it. Describing the thought process of working through this crisis provides the most interesting material in the book about the evolution of English and the various stances that people take on its future.
So if you would describe yourself as an English-language enthusiast, check this one out and see for yourself whether or not you agree with Deck and Herson’s perspective. If you do, I’m sure there’s room for you in the league!
Live, Love, Learn
Elise and The Write Teacher(s)