A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation

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 excusively 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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Twelve
Published: 01/01/2011
ISBN: 9780446540018
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.44lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.80d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 01/05/2011 pg. 20