Steve Leveen - Americas Bilingual Century--How Americans Are Giving the Gift of Bilingualism to Themselves, Their Loved Ones, and Their Country

A well-written, attention-grabbing journey into polyglot life.

Kirkus Reviews

For any parent, this is a cogent and compelling argument for runningnot walkingto your local school system and advocating for K-12 language learning. Your children deserve this!

Marty Abbott, former executive director of ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)

Steves authentic style, stories and substance provided me a new level of inspiration and understanding. There are lessons here for all of us.

David Allen, international bestselling author of Getting Things Done

Achieving facility in multiple languages is a vital goal, both in schooling and as part of life-long learning. Bilingualism makes us stronger! Steve Leveen clinches the case and points the way to success.

Russell A. Berman, Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University, and past president of the Modern Language Association

You have never cracked open anything like this hugely informative, entertaining and inspiring book: the many ways that both the young and the old can learn a new language, why they do it, why it is so valuable, how they come to love it and why it is so utterly American that we would be crazy to think otherwise. Spoiler alert: this book is really about a changing world, and constitutes your invitation to its most hopeful possibilities. Dont miss the adventure.

Jeff Brenzel, Spanish newbie, Lecturer in Humanities and former Dean of Admissions, Yale University

Scholarly but accessible, fun and witty. I learned so muchphilosophically and practically.

Ellan Cates-Smith, media coach to Fortune 500 executives

Full of wit, powerful stories, and genuinely helpful tips, this highly readable book could not be more timely. Read this book and be transformed!

Amy Chua, Yale Law professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations

An inspiring and enlightening exploration of bilingualism, asking and answering all the right questions. Also, it reads like a charm.

Gaston Dorren, author of Lingo and Babel

Americas Bilingual Century takes in the full sweep of all things bilingual. For someone embarking on a similar journey, this is a fabulous guide to follow.

Ben Eason, Publisher and Editor of Creative Loafing and member of YPO

I love this book. It is personal and also highly practical. It is well-informed and also slyly humorous. It equips individuals for a richer, more satisfying lifeand is a guide for communities to do the same. This is a book I hope people of all generations read.

James Fallows, coauthor of the bestselling Our Towns and writer for The Atlantic

Steve Leveen is a gifted storyteller and a meticulous researcher. Unlike others who see bilingualism only as a matter of public or educational policy, Leveen conceives of it as a gift we give ourselvesand others. This book is a generous offering to all who wish to claim his passion as their own.

Rosemary G. Feal, Executive Director Emerita, Modern Language Association

Seeking purpose? A way to bridge the divides in our nation? Find your way to Steve Leveens eloquent new book, Americas Bilingual Century. Leveen makes a comprehensive and compelling case for bilingualism, then makes it easy to get started at any age. Inspiring, practicaland a joy to read!

Marc Freedman, CEO of Encore.org and author of How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations

Within a few miles of the Institute of International Education headquarters in New York City, more than 180 languages are spoken in daily life. As Steve Leveen reminds us, bilingualism is a benefit to all who live here and a gift to the next generation.

Allan Goodman, president of IIE

Americas Bilingual Century is a treat to read as well as immensely informative. It provides a useful and necessary guide as to how we should address this fundamental, but underappreciated, issue in our culture. It is the definitive work on this very interesting topic.

Bob Heckart, advisor to nonprofit organizations addressing homelessness

With eloquence and wit, Steve Leveen shows how to enrich our lives, and our childrens lives, by embracing adopted or heritage languages. He nudges us to learn through the stories of fascinating people, famous media personalities or motivated immigrants, who turned fumbles into successes. Americas Bilingual Century is both a helpful handbook of tips for the language-shy and also a timely policy book summarizing the benefits of multi-lingualism for brain development and economic competitiveness alike.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and best-selling author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End and Think Outside the Building: How Advanced Leaders Can Change the World One Smart Innovation at a Time

Bilingualism will continue to be the norm for human societies, so we should try to optimize it. This deep, engaging book shows how to do that with intelligence and heart. I would have been satisfied with that, but the book goes on to deepen my understanding of languages of any type. I really enjoyed it.

Kevin Kelly, author of The Inevitable and Senior Maverick for Wired Magazine

They who know not a second language know not their own, the old saying goes. Steve Leveens timely, smart, and refreshingly practical book robustly confirms that venerable wisdom, one among its many compelling arguments for Americans to embraceand usethe many tongues that now grace our blessedly polyglot republic.

David Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Stanford Professor of History Emeritus

I can see a lot of people enjoying this book: language lovers, encore experience seekers, teachers, travelers.

Anne Kenner, writer and former federal prosecutor turned high school civics teacher

Flourishing American bilingualism is a pathway to a flourishing America. As we act with intention to adopt another language, we not only gain a personal skill, we also gain empathy and understanding of another culture. Steve Leveen shows how we can step up our own personal development while at the same time take a deeper responsibility for our nations role in the world.

John P. Mackey, cofounder and CEO of Whole Foods Market and author of Conscious Leadership

As Steve shows in this important book, bilingualism opens up so many doors. Not just richer travel experiences, more diverse cultural experiences, and more interesting friendships, but also possibilities in business. I would not be doing business in Europe and Latin America were it not for my interest in developing my Spanish and French.

Michael Masterson [Mark Ford], bestselling author of Ready, Fire, Aim

Curl up with Americas Bilingual Century to get answers to the questions people REALLY have about language. How can you really learn another one? How hard will it be? Do I really need to? And why? Leveen ladles out wise and witty answers to all of these and many more, as someone who decided to shed his monolingualism in middle age and hasn't stopped since.

John McWhorter, Columbia University professor of linguistics, Lexicon Valley