Book Description

MEET BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FRIDDLE The hero of this narrative is a precocious schoolboy who was given a dictionary by his parents when he was very young. In spite of learning the meaning of many new words, he and Jamie conspired to speak like the young man they idolized who spoke with very bad grammar. This gradually became harder, but they both tried very hard not to sound like a girl. Frankie is persuaded to adopt a different imperative through his teacher, who had more understanding of the boys than they could have supposed. In 1987, the book was written to amuse my mother who seemed to enjoy hearing each episode as it developed. The narrative was rejected by several publishers, so I recorded it on an audio tape, which I gave to my grandchildren. And I made a hard copy, which stayed on a shelf until after I received word from 1stBooks. The interest of my grandchildren interested me. Several parts were extremely funny when read aloud to them. Although it is fiction, it might be useful in persuading readers that the uses of good grammar might be necessary for success in modem society. Recent gaps in SAT scores could easily be society's heritage from an erroneous assumption. No language is likely to equal proper English in the American job market. This book may help readers to realize that bad grammar could limit the perception of academic perfectionists who happen to hear job applicants speak. Please let me know whether I should develop another thing I regard as fact: true wisdom is often overlooked in persons who differ from ourselves.