PsicoGDL

Starred Review. Unabashedly inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling The Tipping Point, the brothers Heath—Chip a professor at Stanford’s business school, Dan a teacher and textbook publisher—offer an entertaining, practical guide to effective communication. Drawing extensively on psychosocial studies on memory, emotion and motivation, their study is couched in terms of “stickiness”—that is, the art of making ideas unforgettable. They start by relating the gruesome urban legend about a man who succumbs to a barroom flirtation only to wake up in a tub of ice, victim of an organ-harvesting ring. What makes such stories memorable and ensures their spread around the globe? The authors credit six key principles: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions and stories. (The initial letters spell out “success”—well, almost.)

They illustrate these principles with a host of stories, some familiar (Kennedy’s stirring call to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth” within a decade) and others very funny (Nora Ephron’s anecdote of how her high school journalism teacher used a simple, embarrassing trick to teach her how not to “bury the lead”). Throughout the book, sidebars show how bland messages can be made intriguing. Fun to read and solidly researched, this book deserves a wide readership. (Jan. 16)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Orloff (Second Sight) offers a superbly written series of psychological strategies for maximizing positive emotions and minimizing toxic ones. A practicing psychiatrist, the author straddles the worlds of mainstream medicine and alternative healing; she regards emotions as a training ground for the soul, and views every victory over fear, anxiety, and resentment as a way to develop your spiritual muscles. As the self is the foundation for emotional freedom, the author discusses how readers can find their emotional type—intellectual, empathic, rock or gusher—and suggests how to find balance. Her tips include avoiding emotional vampires or consulting dreams, which she divides into three types: psychological (where fears and neuroses express themselves), predictive and guidance. The second half of the book tackles the most difficult life challenges: depression, loneliness, anxiety, frustration, rejection, grief, envy and bitterness. Orloff addresses each fully and frankly, using anecdotes from her own life and practice—the death of her mother, her own crippling envy. This insightful and positive book will assist anyone who is suffering in mapping a path out of pain. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Touted as a “handbook on the most subtle and effective form of power” and “an indispensable primer on how to take what you want from whomever you want,” this book is more than a little creepy. Following on the heels of his 48 Laws of Power, this book continues Greene’s gross exploration of social power, this time in the realm of sexual politics. In Part 1, Greene, again paired with “packager” Joost Elffers (Play with Your Food), offers a straight-faced description of the nine types of seductive character, from the “Ideal Lover” to the “Rake.” Elffers’s contribution comes in the form of numerous quotes by famous contemporary and historical figures tucked into the side margins. Part 2 examines the process of seduction, subdivided into four phases, with chapter headings such as “Master the Art of Insinuation” and “Isolate the Victim.” This book will have real appeal for power mongers, gold diggers, and heartless manipulators everywhere. Books such as Beverley East’s Finding Mr. Write (LJ 5/1/00) and Jama Clark’s What the Hell Do Women Really Want? (Island Flower, 1997) offer advice on the same subject without the distasteful exploitative emphasis. David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., WA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

People disappoint. Daily. Hourly. Why not wise up and get ready for it? The sooner you learn to stop getting sucker-punched and letting yourself get pissed off, the sooner you can get back to doing your own thing, your own way. In our book, we’ve selected and analyzed the ten most troublesome types of people, then fired out techniques for going over, under or through them. In the meantime, featuring some of their common phrases, here’s a handy guide for spotting the Ten Least Wanted, appearing now in an office near you…

Playboy contributing editor Littman (coauthor of The Art of Innovation) and Hershon, comedian and branding expert, offer a guide for surviving corporate life, flush with clever nomenclature for specific types of exasperating co-workers, such as the Stop Sign, who always has a reason your idea won’t work, or the Bulldozer, who bullies his projects through the system. But rather than offering constructive ways of collaborating with problematic colleagues, Hershon and Littman spend most of the book suggesting ways to avoid them altogether by being a soloist, a corporate loner who taps into innovative reserves rather than bending to be a team player. The authors give examples of such successful soloists as Craig Newmark, corporate misfit and founder of Craig’s List. While amusing and filled with entertaining examples of antisocial geeks who made good, the aim and audience of the book is unclear. The reader is left wondering if it is better to opt out of corporate life altogether rather than have to confront co-workers who exhibit chronically unacceptable behavior. (June)
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Adult/High School—This book illustrates which nonverbal clues telegraph untrustworthiness and deception and which radiate sincerity and compassion. In this fascinating take on body language and the ability to decipher it for use in everyday life, Navarro emphasizes that while knowing the reasons for certain behaviors—like touching one’s neck—can be useful in “reading” people, they are not foolproof barometers of deception. A former FBI agent who commonly used these techniques to help crack cases, the author cautions about jumping to conclusions and encourages using clusters of nonverbal patterns to help discover whether a person is lying or just under stress. One chapter is devoted to the brain and its limbic system, which controls those involuntary quirks of behavior. Black-and-white photos illustrate different points throughout. This book is a worthy research tool, and a good addition to larger collections.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

“A masterful work on nonverbal body language by an exceptional observer. Joe Navarro’s work has been field-tested in the crucible of law enforcement at the highest levels within the FBI. I cannot praise the book enough.” (–David Givens, Ph.D., author of Crime Signals and Love Signals )