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), CAN WE TALK? is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.