Review: Well Blow Me Down!

Rating: ★★★★½
Well Blow Me Down! A Guy’s Guide to Talking Like a Pirate
by John ‘Ol’ Chumbucket’ Baur and Mark ‘Cap’n Slappy’ Summers

Where to even begin with a book like this? Well, I suppose I should mention it’s not even a book, really. Sure, it has words and pages, a cover with fun artwork, and even its own Library of Congress number. But still, it isn’t a book – it’s a focal point, a nexus, a singular compilation of all the history, wit, and wisdom that went into the creation of Talk Like a Pirate Day. The authors, as you know (or at least you should), are the co-creators of said holiday, and we all owe them a debt of grattitude. Johnny Depp may have brought pirates to the forefront of popular culture, but it was Cap’n Slappy and Chumbucket that gave us an outlet for the pirate hiding within us all – an excuse to get gussied up once a year and yell “Arrrrr!”

Newcomers to Talk Like a Pirate Day will find this book wonderfully entertaining and informative. The authors delve into the hows and whys of their unusual holiday, complete with a mini-dictionary, Talk Like a Pirate Day tips for various situations (clubs, work, church…), biographies of famous pirates (both historical and fictional), and several other worthwhile tidbits. Pirate veterans will find much of this to be familiar territory, but will still enjoy reading of the Pirate Guys own experiences and future plans for their holiday. And everything is of course brimming with their unique sense of humor, which really shouldn’t be missed.

Whatever your interest in Talk Like a Pirate Day – be it an excuse to go drinking with your mates (like some,) or an excuse to spend the other 364 days of the year buying pirate costume bits and decorations (like me), Well Blow Me Down! is a worthy addition to any household, bookmobile, or Ivy League College required-reading list.

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