A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation |  | Author: Daniel Menaker
Publisher: Twelve
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $5.75
as of 9/9/2010 04:19 CDT details
You Save: $14.25 (71%)
New (35) Used (27) Collectible (1) from $4.00
Seller: prisonerofstyle
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 331,747
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0446540021
Dewey Decimal Number: 302.346
EAN: 9780446540025
ASIN: 0446540021
Publication Date: January 4, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780446540025 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product 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 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 Conversations Can Build A Better Tomorrow December 30, 2009
C. Lewis (Michigan)
40 out of 46 found this review helpful
The book itself it witty and engaging. I found myself not wanting to put the book down as I was drawn into the history and discourse of talking. It may sound dull, but believe me it isn't. Each chapter has conversations that are great examples of the topic that he is trying to cover which truly allows the reader to understand the concepts at a much deeper level.
As I work in a profession that requires a lot of talking, this book was rather relevant. I run into people daily who have a lack of skill when it comes to conversing with others. I even find at times that conversation does not always come naturally, thus this book was a great find and a great read, as it makes you look at conversing with others in a different light and allows you to work step by step to build yourself into a better conversationalist as well as becomming a better person in society.
A Most Engaging Book January 6, 2010
Ben Sonnenberg (New York, NY USA)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Engaging both in the usual sense of charming and attractive, but also in the less common sense of making you feel you are face-to-face with a real person, one with whom you can argue, disagree and sometimes -- not often, but sometimes -- refute.
Ben Sonnenberg
Fascinating, Funny and Useful January 8, 2010
Nini on the Coast
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is fascinating, funny and full of useful material. I loved
the author's (surprising) criteria for what makes for a good conversation and his list of
questions to to jump start a dull one.
A book to read once and then dip back into periodically for tune ups.
Funny, engaging, and genuinely helpful February 28, 2010
Native New Yorker
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I ordered this book after hearing Dan Menaker on NPR and found it as entertaining and informative as his interview. Menaker offers a witty tour of the role of conversation, solid advice on navigating familiar pitfalls,even tips on cyberchats. He's a genuinely funny raconteur and I found myself alternately laughing out loud and reading choice passages aloud to my husband. (Don't miss the hilarious backfire of the Nixon/Checkers story.) I'm now armed with lots of fascinating stories for my next conversation. An absolute pleasure from cover to cover.
A witty discourse on conversation March 17, 2010
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
A GOOD TALK: THE STORY AND SKILL OF CONVERSATION offers a witty discourse on conversation, telling how it's in decline and providing funny but pointed prose on how it may be revived. Tips on how to make conversation meaningful discusses the origins of language, social talk, and offers a hilarious take on first encounters and exchanges, pinpointing conversations to four stages and addressing underlying concerns.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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