RaveThe Irish Times (IRE)We have allowed a startling combination of converging factors, not least the stratospheric rise of social media, the narcissistic cult of the digital self and the catastrophic demise of transparency and accountability in the political sphere, where language itself is daily abused and devalued by celebrity presidents to the point of gratuitous meaninglessness, to unravel the very fabric of our society ... As a quiet countermeasure to all this, Freeman has penned a \'dictionary\' of sorts, a collection of short interconnected essays really that makes a series of forays into the shared language of our civic life, with the noble intention of reinstating and expanding this lexicon’s significance, purpose and value ... remains firmly grounded in complex and pertinent thought, incorporating perspicacious analysis of the select terms under debate, arranged from A to Z ... Freeman’s diagnosis is worryingly persuasive, largely due to the intellectual and rhetorical integrity of its argument. On the other hand, his proposed solutions are readily achievable. The book surpasses the activist intimations of its alarm call and stands as its own artefact of resistance ... In keeping with his civic mission, Freeman unflinchingly poses salient and discomfiting questions throughout. The writing exerts great oratorical force upon the reader, but a force backed up by clear-sighted honesty, cogent thought and keen conscience.
