Although this would be a good starter for reluctant or unconfident students, the slacker version is not a translation of Shakespeare’s language to modern English but a re-telling of the story in American English. Having the three different layouts means that the original is available. I am not the target audience and found the slacker version jarred but I’m sure that school students will enjoy it, although I don’t think that they are likely to be better equipped to read the real thing. ( )

I loved this take on Shakespeare and found the re-telling amusing, engaging, and fun to read. As someone who remembers struggling with this play in high-school, this version created a nice access point for those who find this play difficult to engage with. Another positive point for this book was the three options presented for reading. You can read each version separately or read it with the original and new material together. Altogether, it was an enjoyable read. ( )

I haven't totally finished reading this, but I am most of the way through, and I love it! Although there are points that I might want to argue with Mr. Kite (such as his interpretation of the word "ho"), I thoroughly believe that his modern take on the play is amazing and will easily help me engage my high school freshmen in the world of Shakespeare. As an English teacher, I am always looking for ways to help my students relate to the material, and this is going to be a valuable resource for doing just that. ( )

Shakespeare has iconic status in our literary canon. There’s a whole industry of literature schools and PhD’s based on the study Shakespeare. Whole careers have been built on him, but it wasn’t always so.

After Shakespeare’s death he was less popular than some of his collaborators, and one could easily imagine an alternate universe in which Shakespeare was just another jobbing sixteenth century playwright - one who wrote for the butchers, brewers and candlestick makers of London, who paid their pennies to come and see a play

But that’s not how things turned out. Shakespeare somehow became elite, and Literature with a capital ‘L’, and something to be approached with great respect.

This book ignores all that and by providing a parallel modern translation alongside the original text of what’s arguably Shakespeare’s best known tragedy returns the play to roots as a simple and tragic story of love gone wrong.

One could argue that subverting the text in that way means that some of Shakespeare’s wit and flourishes are lost, but that’s a small price to play for increasing accessibility. The parallel text trick is interesting approach to increasing access.

If I have one major criticism it’s that the contemporary translation is very North American - fine if you are teaching English in Ohio, less so in Walthamstow or Bankstown, where an Estuary English translation would probably play better.

That said, it’s an interesting idea, and certainly a novel way of introducing kids to Shakespeare…. ( )

I love Shakespeare! And Romeo and Juliet for Slackers is funny to read. For me it seems a comedian retells this play in modern words and is not able to use the imagination of words as Shakespeare was able to do. Three stars because it is an entertaining experiment approch to Romeo and Juliet. But I prefer the original text! ( )