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Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions Kindle Edition

by Joe Berkowitz (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 111 ratings
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"[Away with Words] is low wit in its highest form. . . Mr. Berkowitz is sensitive throughout to the evanescence and contingency of punning and to the fleeting chemistry of a live pun-on-pun matchup crackling with energy." –Wall Street Journal

Fast Company reporter Joe Berkowitz investigates the bizarre and hilarious world of pun competitions from the Punderdome 3000 in Brooklyn to the World competition in Austin.

When Joe Berkowitz witnessed his first Punderdome competition, it felt wrong in the best way. Something impossible seemed to be happening. The kinds of jokes we learn to repress through social conditioning were not only being aired out in public—they were being applauded. As it turned out, this monthly show was part of a subculture that’s been around in one form or another since at least the late ‘70s. Its pinnacle is the O. Henry Pun Off World Championship, an annual tournament in Austin, Texas. As someone who is terminally self-conscious, Joe was both awed and jealous of these people who confidently killed with the most maligned form of humor.

In this immersive ride into the subversive world of pun competitions, we meet punsters weird and wonderful and Berkowitz is our tour guide. Puns may show up in life in subtle ways sometimes, but once you start thinking in puns you discover they’re everywhere. Berkowitz’s search to discover who makes them the most, and why, leads him to the professional comedian competitors on @Midnight, a TV show with a pun competition built into it, the writing staff of Bob’s Burgers, the punniest show on TV, and even a humor research conference. With his new unlikely band of punster brothers, he finally heads to Austin to compete in the World Championship. Of course, in befriending these comic misfits he also ended up learning that when you embrace puns you become a more authentic version of yourself.

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  1. Print length
    290 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  5. Publication date
    June 13, 2017
  6. File size
    2947 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Relentlessly hilarious, mercilessly self-aware, and consistently compassionate, Away with Words isn’t just a chronicle of competitive punning but also a story about discovering where you belong and claiming your destiny." — Josh Gondelman, coauthor of You Blew It

"People often dismiss puns and punsters out of hand, but Joe Berkowitz reveals the best for who they really are—quirky, creative and often truly brilliant.” — John Pollack, former Presidential Speechwriter for Bill Clinton and author of The Pun Also Rises

"If competitive pun-makers can be heroes, Away with Words tells the tale of a hero’s journey." — Jo Firestone, cocreator of Punderdome 3000

"[Away with Words] is low wit in its highest form. . . Mr.Berkowitz is sensitive throughout to the evanescence and contingency of punning and to the fleeting chemistry of a live pun-on-pun matchup crackling with energy." — Wall Street Journal

“I love Joe Berkowitz’s writing. He combines a down-to-earth, sometimes skeptical eye with a fantastic sense of humor and a true joy in creativity. He’s a cool dude because he’s also a nerd par excellence. Of course he became obsessed with puns. Get into his wordy weird brain and enjoy yourself.” — Sara Benincasa, author of Real Artists Have Day Jobs

“This funny little book results from Berkowitz’s yearlong dive into the subculture of pun competitions. Of most fun is Berkowitz sharing in detail his own nerve-wracking performance at the World Championships, as well those of his competitors. Recommended for passionate readers of books about words and wordplay.” — Library Journal

From the Back Cover

In this immersive ride into the subversive world of pun competitions, we meet punsters weird and wonderful, and Joe is our tour guide. His search to discover just who is making all this wordplay, and why, leads him to the professional comedians on @Midnight, a TV show with a pun competition built into it, the writing staff of Bob’s Burgers, the punniest show on TV, and even a humor research conference. With his new unlikely band of Brooklyn punsters, he finally heads to Austin to compete in the World Championships. Of course, in befriending these comic misfits he ends up learning that once you start thinking in puns, you discover them everywhere—and once you embrace words with multiple meanings, you become a more authentic version of yourself.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LZUC7B5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (June 13, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 13, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2947 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 111 ratings

About the author

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Joe Berkowitz

Joe Berkowitz

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Joe Berkowitz is an opinion columnist at Fast Company, and the author of 'Away With Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions' and 'American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World.' He lives with his wife and two amazing cats in Brooklyn.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
111 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nancy Hawa
5.0 out of 5 stars Just finished "Away With Words" and really enjoyed it. I was a little skeptical because I've ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017
Verified Purchase
Just finished "Away With Words" and really enjoyed it. I was a little skeptical because I've long been of the mindset that a pun is the lowest form of humor (don't worry - that perspective is absolutely addressed). This isn't a pun book - it's a look into a world. Learning about people who are fascinated by something that I'm not is often fun, and the author does a great job of introducing the personalities on the scene and helping a doubtful reader understand (and value, even) the challenge that these characters take on at pun competitions. I'm even sold on attending (although not competing in) a future punderdome.

I also really enjoyed the peripheral stories - the author's experience at a humor research conference, the headline process at the New York Post, a behind the scenes look at the Bob's Burgers writer's room.

tldr - this is worth it even if you hate puns.
7 people found this helpful
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Hande Z
3.0 out of 5 stars Astray by words
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
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This book is not just about puns, it is an introduction to the world of punning competitions. The author takes us through his first pun competition and the rest of the book has chapters under parts titled 'First Round' all the way to 'The Finals'. It is like a memoir of someone who hangs around a parlour and spills the beans on what goes on in the parlours and the lives of those who frequent them. One's expectations of a book with this title may be set a little too high, and so the author warns us that we will see a lot of puns that are not at all funny, and some, indeed are cliché, if not outright terrible. I didn't think 'I don't want constellation prizes' worthy of a pun, but we have been warned.
3 people found this helpful
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Peter Grant
4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but if they film it, you'll like the movie better.
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
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Who knew that there pun competitions, but once you get your head around the idea, it makes sense that they're a kind of step-child of improv. It's a tricky premise for a book, since much of what he's reporting was funny in the moment and yesterday's mashed potatoes later on.

Like many of journalists, he puts a lot of himself into the story. Are you interested in puns or Joe Berkowitz? It's up to the reader, but I would rather have the author be an unseen observer. He makes the pun champions come to life in all their quirkiness, and it's an interesting glimpse into a wacky world. The profiles are the best part of the book. Finding out whether Berkowitz did or didn't make the list of contestants at one of the events isn't fascinating.

It would make a great documentary film, since it would capture the humor of the competitions. Some clever filmmaker who can sit through hours of punning without the need of Pepto-Bismol should hook up with Berkowitz for what would be a terrific film.
5 people found this helpful
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Josh Featherstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Punderful
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
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I went into this book expecting to learn a variety of new puns. That barely scratches the surface. This book is more about people than puns and is fully entertaining from beginning to end. To me, Joe's beat writing comes in his descriptions of people. I'd spend an hour with him just to see how he'd write me.
2 people found this helpful
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woof_0
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017
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Disappointing. Hoped for character, depth, wit ... not really here. If you want a superficial light summer read, have at it. Otherwise, buy Word Freak by Stephan Fatsis instead - it has depth, wit, craziness, compassion ... it's fascinating. Away With Words is a shallow read, never drawing you into that world, and barely eliciting a laugh. I give it 3 stars because the writing is fine ... the content falls short.
4 people found this helpful
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Carol B
4.0 out of 5 stars OK for a bathroom book
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2021
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Not a novel, no story line, not very interesting unless one enjoys punning.
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EchoManDan
5.0 out of 5 stars I can vouch for the author's spot-on accuracy in describing what it's like. I'm flying through this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
I just started reading this book and I can't put it down. Having been an audience member at Punderdome in Brooklyn a couple of times, I can vouch for the author's spot-on accuracy in describing what it's like. I'm flying through this book ... it's a real page tern-er!
One person found this helpful
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B. Baiter
2.0 out of 5 stars Quit after 189 pp because it was boring, filled with annoying words and phrases to show ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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Quit after 189 pp because it was boring, filled with annoying words and phrases to show how “with it” the author is, and, ultimately, not a subject that deserves 270 pp.
6 people found this helpful
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