***** 5 stars
P. Offen (San Diego)
When our daughter-in-law’s parents turned 60 last December, my husband and I sent them a box of memorabilia from our common youth containing a “Don’t Trust Anyone over 30” button, a “Make Love Not War” mug (with peace symbol), a “Groovy Chick” T-shirt, the Sunset Book of Macrame Plant Hangers, and our personal fave, a barbecue apron that read “I owned an 8-track player.” This was all opened in front of the kids who were visiting for Christmas. The parents howled. The kids were…baffled.
Better that we had sent them Ralph Keyes “I Love It when You Talk Retro.” Not just for serious Wordies, this collection of “retro terms” (which Keyes defines as a word or phrase…in current use yet [has]an origin that isn’t current”) is an equally fun read for your favorite boomer, clueless teenager, or simply the idle curious. It works well as a coffee table reference (we regularly find guests leafing through it) or nightstand favorite; our copy, in fact, has been regularly commuting back and forth between both places.
“I Love It When You Talk Retro” is a wonderful addition to anyone’s personal library.