CUSS CONTROL was published by a division of Random House in April 2000, and was an immediate sensation. After less than two months, it went into its third printing!
Jim O'Connor's humorous yet thought-provoking book expanded the media attention he was already attracting through the Cuss Control Academy. He has appeared on more than 85 TV shows (including Oprah), interviewed on nearly 600 radio stations, and featured in more than 450 magazines and newspapers, including twice in TIME magazine and twice in USA Today. Today, he is recognized as one of the few experts on why swearing has become so commonplace. He continues to be interviewed whenever members of the media find reason to report on the growing use of profanity and its impact on our culture and the way we communicate.
Comments and praise from the media follow this description of the book.
Cuss Control;
The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing
by James O'Connor
($12.95, Three Rivers Press)
It this book really necessary? !#&*@% yes! Cuss Control takes a pointed look at the epidemic of potty mouth that has turned America into one big locker room–and offers practical suggestions for cleaning up our exclamatory act, and creating civility and a healthier society.
America has developed an addiction to swearing, and Jim O'Connor has made it his mission to help us break the habit. O'Connor doesn't call for the total elimination of cussing, just for its confinement to situations where extreme emotion (think hammer, think thumb) or poetic license (think Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear") demand it. His program for easing us off the gutter-talk highway involves both an expansion of our working vocabulary (there are other words) and a lessening of our tendency to see the world as a hostile and frustrating place.
With exercises and tips, as well as thoughtful reflection on how we've worked ourselves up into such a snit, Cuss Control is a refreshing celebration of the joys of a civil tongue. We swear.
To order a copy, go to Amazon.com or check with your local bookstore
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WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING ABOUT CUSS CONTROL
Christin Kellogg, The Washington Times:
"While Mr. O'Connor insists that he is not trying to eliminate all swearing, he would like to see a conscious effort made to curtail it. His book describes how the bad language that swearers assume is accepted is really only tolerated. It is a blot on everyone's reputation."
Mimi Avins, The Los Angeles Times:
"Like most of us, O'Connor grew up swearing but tired of it when he felt its public use was becoming excessive. He says most people don't realize they could be damaging their relationships and influencing the way other people perceive them."
Rory Evans, Allure magazine:
"In his book, O'Connor sets forth a plan for cutting back on cussing. He recommends that you stop habitually swearing, and should also exercise restraint in emotional situations. You will be making a noble sacrifice, bettering the environment for many generations."
Jacquielyn Floyd, The Dallas Morning News:
"O'Connor is a public relations guy whose book challenges people to give up cursing. Personally, I agree with him. Cursing is tacky, offensive, pointless and makes you look like a lout."
Fred Bruning, Newsday:
"O'Connor is not likely to achieve a truly swearless society, but, he says, anything would be an improvement. He says the whole issue has to do with civility."
Michelle Slatalla, Time magazine:
"O'Connor says parents who came of age in the '60s and '70s decided to do what they wanted to do and say what they wanted to say. So today our children are swearing more and swearing younger."
Redbook magazine:
"Parents can't expect their kids to stop swearing unless they do, too, says James V. O'Connor, author of Cuss Control. Kids will imitate not only your language, but also the bad attitude it conveys."
William Norich, House & Garden:
"James O'Connor is a man whose time has definitely arrived. He considers swearing a bad habit that anyone can, and should, break, like smoking."
Karen Peterson, USA TODAY:
"Obscenities have become a verbal crutch, and swearing is almost always a negative, says James O'Connor, the anti-cussing crusader and author. He says profanity is lazy language that reveals more about the swearer than the subject of the cursing."
Diane White, the Boston Globe:
"In Cuss Control, James V. O'Connor writes that at the rate we are going, swearing will be so common that it will be about as much fun as a nudist camp. Like institutionalized nudity, swearing is losing its mystery, its power to shock. It is so ubiquitous that it's boring, and that's a shame, because cursing has its uses."
Lenita Powers, Reno Gazette-Journal
"O'Connor claims that a lot of swearing is just lazy language. By eliminating the swear words, people can communicate more precisely while projecting a more intelligent and positive image."
Ellen Creager, Knight Ridder News Service:
"The best reason to stop swearing, says O'Connor, is to raise other people's opinion of you. Others might not say anything when you swear, but they are judging your personality and attitude."
Jim Shea, The Hartford Courant:
"It might be tempting to dismiss O'Connor as a crusader. But he comes across as rational, down to earth and possessing an easy sense of humor."
Deneen L. Brown, The Washington Post:
"O'Connor is a nice man. He used to curse himself until he thought about it. He argues that all the unleashed cuss words are chipping away at our civility."
Deanna Isaacs, the Reader's Guide:
"It's easy to think positively about O'Connor. He's funny and he's touched a nerve with a lot of people. And it all makes sense, doesn't it? Who can argue with a plea for a return to civility?"
Amy Reynolds Alexander, Investor's Business Daily:
"O'Connor's book is a humorous but effective guide to controlling one's use of foul language. Replacements words are just Band-Aids, he writes. If you swear, try to determine why you feel the need to let filth fly."
Linda Peterson, Biography Magazine:
"Cursing is so pervasive it has lost its shock value-so why do people still do it? It's extremely lazy language, says O'Connor. He adds that we're complaining because we are impatient and intolerant. We allow ourselves to be frustrated over every little thing."
Janie Magruder, The Arizona Republic:
"O'Connor says the goal is not to become a person who doesn't swear, but a person who doesn't need to swear."
Cosmopolitan magazine:
"How to break the high-schoolish speech habit? Jim O'Connor says speak more slowly and don't be afraid to pause and recast your thoughts instead of using worthless words."
HR magazine:
"According to O'Connor, casual swearing may be perceived as a sign of immaturity or weak character. He says employers want workers who are upbeat, can deal with daily aggravations and confront problems with an I-can-fix-it attitude."
Christopher Noxon, The Los Angeles Times:
"To O'Connor, curbing your cursing is akin to fighting crime by ticketing vandals and loiterers–fix the little things and you prevent the big things from ever happening."