PORTRAITS OF THE L2 USER. Vivian Cook (Ed.). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2002. Pp. viii + 304. $89.95 cloth, $39.95 paper.

This volume will be a welcome addition to those who believe, as does Cook, that second language (L2) users should be studied for what they are and can do on their own terms, rather than in comparison to native speakers. However, the book might be less appealing to readers who do not share Cook's L2 user viewpoint, which is reiterated throughout the text. Instead of viewing L2 users as deficient native speakers, this book reflects a significant departure from traditional SLA research by accounting for L2 users' performance independently from that of monolingual native speakers. Cook proposes that this outlook will enable SLA researchers to examine the factors making L2 users what they are, instead of focusing on the reasons for which they have failed to become what they are not—that is, native speakers.