Almost everyone swears, or worries about not swearing, from the two-year-old who has just discovered the power of potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. Whether they express anger or exhilaration, are meant to insult or to commend, swear words perform a crucial role in language. But swearing is also a uniquely well-suited lens through which to look at history, offering a fascinating record of what people care about on the deepest levels of a culture - what's divine, what's terrifying, and what's taboo.

Holy Sh*t tells the story of two kinds of swearing - obscenities and oaths - from ancient Rome and the Bible to today. With humor and insight, Melissa Mohr takes listeners on a journey to discover how "swearing" has come to include both testifying with your hand on the Bible and calling someone a *#$&!* when they cut you off on the highway. She explores obscenities in ancient Rome - which were remarkably similar to our own - and unearths the history of religious oaths in the Middle Ages, when swearing (or not swearing) an oath was often a matter of life and death.

Holy Sh*t also explains the advancement of civility and corresponding censorship of language in the 18th century, considers the rise of racial slurs after World War II, examines the physiological effects of swearing (increased heart rate and greater pain tolerance), and answers a question that preoccupies the FCC, the US Senate, and anyone who has recently overheard little kids at a playground: are we swearing more now than people did in the past?

A gem of lexicography and cultural history, Holy Sh*t is a serious exploration of obscenity - and it also just might expand your repertoire of words to choose from the next time you shut your finger in the car door.

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Listening Length	10 hours and 45 minutes
Author	Melissa Mohr
Narrator	Napoleon Ryan
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	July 08, 2014
Publisher	Audible Studios
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00KAH7D1W
Best Sellers Rank	#12,199 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #6 in Western European History #48 in Words, Language & Grammar (Audible Books & Originals) #92 in Linguistics Reference

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		17%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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tsarin black

Entertaining, with selective omissions

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2018

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An interesting, if bewilderingly selective history of swearing in English (that is, England’s English, and to a later extent American English). I thought it peculiar that the author completely avoids the “a**”-construction class of intensifiers so prolific in American spoken English. There were some other strange omissions I’ve forgotten now. I suspect the author did not have enough time to cover everything, and just ignored large sections of material. Still, an entertaining enough listen, and I learned quite a few things- just not as deep of an academic investigation as I’d hoped. More of an armchair read, very accessible. Can be a bit dry at times, but that’s normally how this sort of thing is.

3 people found this helpful

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Yuri Wijting

Marvelously entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021

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I thoroughly enjoyed how this book took me through the history of profanity and learned about linguistic norms of that age.

You learn far more than just the etymology of particular obscene word. In addition, you'll gain a basic understanding of the social structure and how that in turn made certain words taboo.

I'd recommend this to anyone who has a love of language, specially English (Latin, French, and Hebrew are explored).

This deserves 5 stars because such a topic could easily become sophomoric and crappy. Instead, Melissa Mohr gives a fabulous introduction to the connection between language and society and how that informs what is taboo and what isn't.

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Anthony

cultural and linguistic in nature

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2018

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This book is quite the read for anyone not squeamish of what we would consider "fowl language." I was given many strange looks while reading it and would actually defend myself for reading it to friends in the following manner: It isn't just the evolution of "swear words." Its a cultural and linguistic study into what we as human deem profane, obscene, and taboo. It offers the reader a chance to step back from a cultural norm of modest and appropriate speech and behavior to understand the certain relativity behind such things. I would recommend this to anyone interested in cultures, linguistics, and human behavior.

3 people found this helpful

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Epiphone Player

Thorough History and Sound Scholarship Sooooo Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2014

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I had no idea a history book could be so much fun. Melissa Mohr has a great sense of comic timing, even as she is delivering some very good research. Reminds me very much Mary Roach's terrific style in "Bonk". LOL funny over and over and over again, but never salacious, and never "dirty". Have learned along the way that ancient Rome was no place to live. So that chapter was confirmation. Never would have guessed that the advent of privacy in a home could change humankind's sense of what words are "bad" words. Will never take equivocating lightly again. I only wished for more detail on the limbic brain studies, very late in the book. Had to wait until the end for this, and that's why I bought the book. Would recommend to anyone who loves history, and wonders why it's so cathartic sometimes just to let the cuss-words flow.

5 people found this helpful

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Michael Blum

MUCH IS EXPLAINED IN THIS WITTY, WONDERFUL BOOK

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2018

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WONDERFUL, witty, scholarly romp through a very important history of thought, culture and ideas. If you ever wondered why our ancestors commonly used words we shy from, and yet would have been horrified to hear our casual use phrases like "Oh God!" -- this book explains it. Ms. Mohr has done the world a great service.

One person found this helpful

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Mimbral

An amusing romp through the history of cursing

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018

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Well written, light hearted, and on a topic that no one else has delved into (that I know of.) The book was a fun read and illustrates that people are people no matter what language they speak or age they live in.

2 people found this helpful

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AvonCT

Didn't You Ever Wonder Where "Swearwords" Came From?

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2014

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A very concise, and I assume, accurate account of "no-no's" now made commonplace by cable and internet. Who hasn't heard these words at least once a day somewhere in the English speaking public? This is a nice trip through the origin of these very common (and useful) expressions, but left a few unanswered questions for me. For example, I've always heard that the grand-daddy of swear words came from a euphemism used in print for "forced unlawful carnal knowledge" - is this fact or just fiction? So, maybe in the second edition.....

One person found this helpful

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Diadem

A Great Read...Serious Study + Delightfully Written

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2013

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Although there have been other studies about swearing, this book brings a concise, modern perspective to the subject. Although the book's title might seem like a catchy joke, it actually alludes to the sacred and secular origins of swearing. The subject gets an excellent examination, beginning with ancient and Biblical aspects; it progresses through medieval, Enlightenment, Victorian and modern times.

The author doesn't shy away from any word, oath, epithet or slur, no matter how offensive some of them may be to modern readers. The historical and cultural contexts of swear-words are engagingly explored, which leads to an understanding of why historically-offensive words may seem quaint today, yet may have been as controversial in their time as the essentially unspeakable n-word is at present.

I greatly enjoyed the author's scholarly yet witty writing style. Holy S*** is well-written, entertaining and insightful. Even for people (such as myself) who think there is far too much profanity and bad social behavior in contemporary society, Holy S*** helps us understand some of the reasons that lie behind it. My only criticism is occasional allusions to contemporary entertainers, whose significance might puzzle readers 10 years from now.

BTW, check out the blurb about the author on the inside back dustcover: the picture of her and the expression on her young son's face is priceless.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Alex

All my sweary friends should read this

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2016

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This book is both hilarious and enlightening! I purchased this unsure of whether this would be another dull read written by someone who has never uttered a swear within his/her lifetime. My fears dissipated the moment I started the first chapter. Written in a comprehensive style, Melissa Mohr captured the essence of cursing in a light-hearted way, that captivates the reader until the end. It is historical, so it definitely felt like my time reading was productive (despite what my boss said when giving back a report, but like, **** him, ya know?). I highly recommend this book to anyone of a curious nature, who wants to dive into a truly interesting topic.

D. Warren Piper

Goodness

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2013

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What a fascinating book. Ms Mohr considers swearing oaths and swearing obscenities. She starts with the Romans giving wonderful examples of words scrawled on ancient walls. Her discussion of swearing in the old testament is witty and very informative. Then from the middle ages up to today it is a revelation. Even words used in my father's life time were unknown to me.

Buy it.

One person found this helpful

PaulC

Brilliant - words so familiar but I now realise I knew almost nothing about till I read this.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2013

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As well as illuminating very familiar words in a way nothing else I have encountered has done, there's a lot of serious academic research in this book. It gives fascinating insights into how different societies' taboos have played out in the words they chose to swear by. Although it includes lots of fascinating vignettes, this is not at all a sniggery, 'smallest room' book - on the contrary, I found it historically and socially as well as etymologically informative. And absolutely no words are minced, except for the title. Of course this means some people may feel it's a book they will not want to leave lying around for their children to read. But at least they may understand the historical contexts through which their own taboos have evolved.

One person found this helpful

Randal

Research

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2018

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Useful for a writer's research.

Anyanka

brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2014

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Totally unputdownable. I enjoyed every single bit. It really was the best thing I've read in a long time. Written intelligently but with a great readability. I totally recommend it, it must have taken a long time to research and was thoroughly enjoyable.

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