Karen Stollznow is a linguist and the author of On the Offensive (CUP, 2020), Missed Conceptions (2023), God Bless America (2013) and Language Myths, Mysteries, and Magic (2014). She writes for Psychology Today, Scientific American Mind, and The Conversation and has appeared on the History Channel's History's Greatest Mysteries and Netflix's The Unexplained. Karen is currently a researcher at Griffith University and a host of Monster Talk, an award-winning science-based podcast.
'A single word can tell us a lot. Karen Stollznow's fascinating exploration of the word bitch provides valuable insights on social history, language, gender, race, politics and entertainment.' Paul Baker, Professor of Linguistics, Lancaster University 'Karen Stollznow provides a well-researched, scholarly, feminist, and often confronting discussion of the word bitch which has shape-shifted, chameleon-like, over many centuries. Drawing on an impressive array of sources from dictionaries and scholarly texts to social media, she analyses its use in many languages, contexts, and ethnic and social groups, as well as the issue of its attempted reclamation along with similar misogynist slurs.' Janet Holmes, Professor Emerita in Linguistics, Victoria University of Wellington 'A sparkling and sophisticated examination of one of my favorite vulgarities - and one of the English language's most fraught. I had been waiting for a detailed, book-length account of this word, whose long life is more colorful and fascinating than I even knew. Karen Stollznow was the perfect person to write it!' Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking, Cultish, and Wordslut