Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, and as John McWhorter points out, our ability to curse comes from a different area of the brain than other parts of speech. From tame Victorian oaths like "damn" to still-potent racial epithets, McWhorter provides a perceptive yet rollicking examination of profanity and why we love it, explored from every angle: historical, sociological, political, and linguistic.

"A deeply intelligent celebration of language that teaches us how to see English in high definition and love it as it really is."—New York Times