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The Roots We Share

100 Words That Bring Us Together
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( 127 ratings, 26 reviews)
Brief Description
A follow-up title to the bestselling Roots of Happiness, this is a beautifully illustrated book from author, broadcaster and word expert, Susie Dent, highlighting 100 words and phrases from the English language and beyond that bring people together. Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert,... Read More
Format: Hardback
$4500
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A follow-up title to the bestselling Roots of Happiness, this is a beautifully illustrated book from author, broadcaster and word expert, Susie Dent, highlighting 100 words and phrases from the English language and beyond that bring people together.

Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, is on a mission to find 100 words and phrases to bring people together.

There are times when the world feels more divided than ever. But it is important to remember the things that unite rather than divide us. Susie has searched far and wide to unearth words and phrases—old, new, and long-forgotten—that celebrate harmony, unity, and the universal languages that connect people across the world.

Whether you want to conjobble (chat with a friend over some food), to be goodwilly (kind, generous, and cheerful), to atone for a mistake (become 'at' 'one' with someone again) or simply head off on a coddiwomple (a journey with no destination), this joyous collection of words celebrates the things in life that bind us together, from friendship, love and peace, to community, music and even the stars. These are the roots we share.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241717820

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 09 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Puffin

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Harriet Hobday

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly, Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 192.0mm

Height: 236.0mm

Weight: 500g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Susie Dent (Author) Susie Dent is a writer and broadcaster on language. She recently celebrated 25 years as the resident word expert on C4's Countdown, and also appears on the show's comedy sister 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown. Susie comments regularly on TV and radio on words in the news. Susie answers notes and queries about words and phrases in weekly columns in the Radio Times and The Week Junior. She has written for the Independent on Sunday, the Telegraph, and the Times, and is the author of several books, including her latest, Dent's Modern Tribes. She is a spokesperson for Oxford University Press, and has been a judge on the Costa Book Awards and on the Academy Excellence Awards. Susie regularly delivers key-note speeches to both small companies and major corporations on language and communication. @susie_dent Harriet Hobday (Illustrator) Harriet Hobday is an extraordinary new talent, a recent graduate of the MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Currently based in Edinburgh, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2015 and runner-up for The Batsford Prize 2018.

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