Book Description:
A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities-- conversation.
Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and "how to" advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of "the most exclusively human of all activities."
In a time when conversation remains deeply important-- for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are-- and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.
Author Bio:
Daniel Menaker has been a part of America's life of letters for almost forty years. As a writer, he has met and talked to thousands of people about their work and their lives. He is widely read and well versed in psychological literature and practices and, as an editor at Random House, has had countless meetings and other exchanges with writers, agents, public figures, and ordinary people. His own writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Slate; he lives in New York with his wife and their two children.
©2010
My Take on the Book:
A very informative and interesting book on conversation. Actually a lot better than I thought it would be. The one criticism I have is the long conversation between Fred and Ginger. For me, that was the most painfully boring part. The other aspects of the book were great. I especially enjoyed a joke that I will share;
After he'd used the toilet one day, a woman said to him, "Why, Mr. Johnson, your penis is sticking out." Johnson replied, "You flatter yourself, Madame-- it is only hanging out."
~Page 44.
That is one conversation, made up or not, that I won't soon forget. I suggest if you are curious about conversation, and the techniques in it, grab a copy. You may or may not like the book. It really is an acquired taste.
~ I was not compensated for this post. This review is my honest opinion. ~
Doesn't really sound up my aisle, but that joke was funny. I'm betting it was made up, though.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of your reviews.
ReplyDeleteYour reviews don't scare people away from books, but rather challenge the reader to form their own opinions regarding a particular body of work.
Though you were lukewarm about recommending this book, it interests me because one on one, face to face communication has become somewhat of a lost art.
There is a new generation out there that thinks that instant messaging, texting and emailing are the ways one communicates and that face to face conversation is cumbersome and intimidating and not worth the time or effort. Boy, are they wrong.