Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is Linguistics? | 1973 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 2 | Guide to Transformational Grammar | 1973 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 3 | Pouring Down Words | 1975 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 4 | A Primer Of Transformational Grammar For Rank Beginners | 1975 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 5 | The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1980 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 6 | More on The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1983 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 7 | The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1987 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 8 | A First Dictionary and Grammar of Láadan | 1988 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 9 | The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense for Business Success | 1989 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 10 | Success with the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1989 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 11 | Staying Well with the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1990 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 12 | The Gentle Art Of Verbal Self Defense For Parents & Kids | 1991 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 13 | The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense Letter Book | 1993 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 14 | Genderspeak | 1993 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 15 | You Can’t Say That to Me | 1995 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 16 | Businessspeak | 1995 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 17 | The Gentle Art of Communicating with Kids | 1995 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 18 | Try to Feel It My Way | 1996 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 19 | How to Turn the Other Cheek and Still Survive in Today’s World | 1997 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 20 | How to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable | 1997 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 21 | The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense | 1997 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 22 | Language in Emergency Medicine | 1999 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 23 | The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense at Work | 1999 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 24 | Mastering the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 1999 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
| 25 | The Language Imperative | 2000 | Suzette Haden Elgin | Buy |
Suzette Haden Elgin’s non-fiction career ran from the early 1970s to 2000 and falls into two broad phases. The first, from 1973 to 1975, produced academic linguistics texts including What Is Linguistics?, Guide to Transformational Grammar, and A Primer of Transformational Grammar for Rank Beginners. These were written for students and general readers curious about the formal study of language, and they reflect her work as a university lecturer.
The second and longer phase began with The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense in 1980. This book argued that verbal hostility follows recognizable patterns and that people can learn to recognize and respond to these patterns without being drawn into escalating arguments. The series grew to encompass situations from business and the workplace to family life and healthcare settings. More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense (1983), The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense (1987), and a string of successors addressed increasingly specific contexts, including Staying Well with the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense (1990), Genderspeak (1993), and The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense at Work (1999).
She also published A First Dictionary and Grammar of Laadan (1988), the reference grammar for the constructed language from her Native Tongue trilogy, and The Language Imperative (2000), which argued for the importance of multilingualism. Language in Emergency Medicine (1999) applied her communication research to the specific pressures of the healthcare environment. Taken together, her non-fiction output is as substantial as her fiction, and in some respects more practically influential.