Kindle
$11.99
Available instantly
Audiobook
1 CreditAvailable instantly
Paperback
$36.33
Read sample
Chomsky and Me: A Memoir
by Bev Boisseau Stohl (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (32)
Bev Stohl ran the MIT office of the renowned linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky for nearly two and a half decades. This is her account of those years, working next to a man described by the New York Times as “arguably the most important intellectual alive today.”
Through these pages we observe the comings and goings of a constant and varied stream of visitors: the historian Howard Zinn; activists Alex Carey, Peggy Duff, and Dorie Ladner; the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners Lee; actors Catherine Keener and Wallace Shawn; the writer Norman Mailer; gaggles of fourteen-year-old school students, and the world’s leading linguists. All make appearances in these stories. Many who visit are as careless of their allotted time as Chomsky is generous with his. Shepherding them out in mid-conversation is one of Bev’s more challenging responsibilities.
Other duties include arranging lectures to overflow crowds around the world, keeping unscrupulous journalists at bay, preventing teetering ziggurats of paper and books from engulfing her boss, and switching on his printer when it is deemed “broken” by a mind that is engaged less by mundane technology than the realms of academia and activism.
Over the years, what has commenced as a formal working arrangement blossoms into something more: a warm and enduring friendship that involves work trips to Europe, visits with her partner and dog to Noam’s summer home on Cape Cod, and a mentorship that challenges Bev with all manner of intriguing mental and practical puzzles.
Published with the approval of its subject and written with affection, insight and a gentle sense of humor, Chomsky and Me describes a relationship between two quite different people who, through the happenstance of work, form a bond that is both surprising and reciprocally rich.
Product description
Review
"This is a beautiful, tender and profound book about one of the most important thinkers of our time, by one of the people who knows him best. A masterpiece of observation and memoir."
-Johann Hari, author of New York Times Bestseller Chasing the Scream
"A ringside seat on the life and times of a man regarded by millions as a remote intellectual deity, but who comes into sharp focus through the delightfully warm and humorous lens of Bev Stohl as a relatable mortal ... If you want to know the real Noam Chomsky, this is the book for you."
--Amir Amirani
About the Author
Bev Boisseau Stohl worked for 24 years as Chomsky’s office manager. Her writing has appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the MIT Press, and Stethoscopes and Pencils. She has performed stand-up and improv comedy, and has appeared on TV news shows demonstrating her skill in talking backwards. Her dog, Roxy, joined her at work for 13 years, and was christened “The Cat” by Chomsky.
Product details
ASIN : B0CBNWTSH2
Publisher : OR Books
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 11 July 2023
Language : English
File size : 17.1 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 324 pages
==
From other countries
John
5.0 out of 5 stars labor of love by a loving laborer
Reviewed in the United States on 12 November 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a labor of love by a loving laborer who walked the extra mile doing her job. Stohl was Chomsky’s office manager for 24 years beginning in 1993. Her retirement in 2017 coincided with his move from MIT to Arizona.
Stohl was hired as an experienced MIT office worker - not because she was familiar with Chomsky’s work which was new to her. Following the death of his wife Carol Chomsky in 2008 Stohl stepped up. She’d go by his home when he had problems with his computer. On days he was in the office she’d bring him a home cooked meal for lunch. When it snowed she’d swing by his house and shovel the snow.
All this was in addition to running his very busy office. Handling email, phone calls, booking appointments, organizing his travels, buying tickets etc. Over the years Stohl met a steady stream of his friends such as Howard Zinn, Norman Finkelstein, David Barsamian et al.
If you’re interested in Chomsky's work, by all means read him. If you’re interested in Chomsky the person and an intimate view behind the scenes of a great soul - this is a special, unique source.
The book is highly readable, well paced and full of wonderful insights and surprises. Written with Chomsky’s approval; you won’t be disappointed.
Report
elizabeth
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in Mexico on 22 September 2023
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
All in all an enjoyable read by a huge Chomsky fan. Hard to believe he is still going full speed ahead
Report
maryboo
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this memoir!!
Reviewed in the United States on 29 July 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I picked up this book 3 days ago & did not put it down until 4 am last night (this morning??)
I -burst into tears- when I finished it.
Such a bittersweet finale to a book & now career we all hoped would last forever.
Bev creates a heartwarming portrayal of one of the greatest minds of our time & not only makes Chomsky attainable, but tells a tale of true friendship that both she and he inspire.
Report
Ordinary Working Grammarian
5.0 out of 5 stars An important book!
Reviewed in the United States on 26 December 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Stohl was Chomsky’s administrative assistant at MIT from March 1993 to June 2017. Through his writings, interviews, talks and correspondence, Chomsky developed into a world-wide clearinghouse of political activism. When 9/11 took place, people called him from all over the world asking for interviews to make sense of it all. Countless numbers of people have filed through his office, including frequent film crews, hoping to get advice from him. Over one three-day weekend alone, they received over one thousand e-mail messages. For 24 years, Stohl was the gatekeeper for this vast and chaotic enterprise. Every single person had to go through her to get to Chomsky. Much of the book is about the constant challenges she faced in fulfilling this duty.
Stohl writes in an entertaining and an easy-to-read style. The bottom line is that I really enjoyed this book. I especially recommend it to linguists, who will learn about a side of Chomsky beyond his linguistics persona.
Report
Mary Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and Beautifully told story
Reviewed in the United States on 21 August 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you know who Noam Chomsky is, it is a must read. Like no other book, this one unfolds to leave you with the sense that you now "know" him on a personal level. The man behind the incredible brilliance and greatness is so endearing, kind and warm. If you don't know who Noam Chomsky is it is a must read. Incredibly well written, the book takes you on the journey through so many hilarious and poignant moments, while weaving a tale of colleagues that become family. A memoir, but also a love story, about the tribe we develop in life, and if lucky, at work, and if really lucky, (and having a Sufi) knowing that has been where we were meant to be all along.
Report
Gail Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, compassionate and informative
Reviewed in the United States on 16 September 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I read this book because Noam Chomsky’s theories relative to linguistics guided me to my chosen profession in speech and language back in the 1970s. Bev’s book gave me so much insight into him as a person, an activist, and a wonderful human being. What a gift she has given us!
Report
shupta
5.0 out of 5 stars A personal look at the most important living intellectual
Reviewed in the United States on 7 November 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I've followed Chomsky and his works for a few years now, and this book is essential in seeing the gentle, generous man behind the fearless critic of power.
Bev's style is bright, endearing, and, at times, downright hilarious. It's the type of book you can start anywhere, and it's digestible and easy to orient oneself--this is quite the feat, even for seasoned writers.
I'm hopeful she has more writing to share with us.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable and entertaining addition to the Canon
Reviewed in the United States on 12 July 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Outside of a few childhood stories he regularly gives to interviewers, the human being behind the intellectual accomplishments has often remained obscure. As Chomskys, assistant, a job which included myriad duties, among them fixer and stage manager, Ms Stohl gives us the first, and what is likely to be the only view of the very human person who is Noam Chomsky.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Unknown details about Chomsky's circle of friends
Reviewed in the United States on 22 January 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is unique in content and very well-written. I enjoyed the content, the style and the photos! A new window into Noam Chimaky's life through the perspective of a long time friend who worked for him. Strongly recommend it.
Report
gary r green
5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider’s Story that needed to be told!
Reviewed in the United States on 29 July 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The humility, humor and heart in this book made it one of the most rewarding books I’ve read in years.
Report
==
==
==
==
==
No comments:
Post a Comment