Review by Choice Review
This is a fine piece of scholarship written by an academician who obviously knows the subject well. The book consists of 12 chapters organized into 4 sections. The first section provides an introduction to the topic and an overview; the second emphasizes varieties of gestures and systems for their classification; the third stresses the relationship between gestures and discourse. The final part applies theory to two particular cases: children and the brain. The focus of the work is a bit narrow for two primary reasons. First, the author defines gestures as movements of the hands and arms. Most experts also include in this category movement of the head and some include legs and feet. Second, the author limits his focus to only those gestures that accompany spoken language. The author writes well though this is not an easy book to read. Given the topic, one might hope for more examples in the form of pictures and drawings. This is, however, a major work on the subject and should be included in all serious libraries. Advanced undergraduate, graduate; faculty. S. A. Rollman; James Madison University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
