We were all “Gobsmacked” last night when author Ben Yagoda came for Cocktails & Conversation!
There was mixing and mingling in the bar at Alvin & Friends, before we all moved to the private Roscoe Room to listen in on a discussion between Yagoda and moderator Amy Bass (a charming host, as always) about his latest book. It was a great night for all who believe in the power of libraries!
Cocktails & Conversation with Ben Yagoda, author of Gobsmacked! The British Invasion of American English., will took place on December 11th at Alvin & Friends Restaurant (14 Memorial Highway, New Rochelle) from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Tickets cost $60 and included delicious nibbles and two drinks; proceeds benefit the non-profit NRPL Foundation.
Copies of Yagoda’s book will be available for sale and signing by J. Anderson’s Bookstore (96 Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont). “Gobsmacked” can be pre-ordered here.
Ben Yagoda has published more than a dozen books (including Will Rogers: A Biography) and his blog, Not One-Off Britishisms, has been visited more than 3 million times. Since 2011, Yagoda has dutifully documented and collected hundreds of British imports on his blog, and in his new book Yagoda splits them up into distinct categories (military slang, food and drink, sports, insults, and other bits and bobs), provides some historical and cultural context for their use, and denotes their level of penetration into American English at the end of each entry. The result is an awfully clever deconstruction of the English language, full stop.