Talk to the Hand

The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt The Door

By Lynne Truss
(Gotham, Paperback, 9781592402403, 216pp.)

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover, Hardcover

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"Talk to the hand, 'coz the face ain't listening!" This expression has become so widespread that Lynne Truss need not even mention the name of the TV talk show where you first heard it. It's a perfect example of how boorish behavior has become a point of pride in society today. "Talk to the hand"-- when did the world stop wanting to hear? When did society stop valuing basic courtesy and respect? In the spirit of her runaway hit, #1 New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss analyzes the apparent collapse of manners in our daily lives, and tells us what we can do about it.

Why are our dealings with strangers becoming more unpleasant day by day? When did "please" and "thank you" become passé? When did the words "hello," "good-bye," and "good morning" fall out of common usage? Why do people behave as if public spaces are their own chip-strewn living rooms? Talk to the Hand is a rallying cry for a return to civility in our "eff off" society and a colorful call to arms-- from the wittiest defender of the civilized world. BACKCOVER: The Queen of Sticklers takes on the sorry state of modern manners.

"Without knocking anyone down on your way, hurry to the bookstore for a copy of Talk to the Hand... Long live the Queen of Zero Tolerance. And heaven help the rest of us."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Yes, people are now ruder than ever, and no, there's no excuse for it: The outraged and slighted can find solace in Talk to the Hand."
--New York Post

"Lynne Truss is "the Doyenne of Do's and Don'ts."

"The hilarious British fusspot is back with Talk to the Hand... in which she trains her zero tolerance wit on rude behavior, from the death of thank-you notes to the ubiquity of the F- word."

"She's cranky, she's articulate, and she's absolutely right. Just as she fomented a revolution in language, now she foments a revolution in behavior. You'll find yourself nodding in agreement; then you'll find yourself speaking up."

"She can make 201 pages fly by as you snicker and chuckle, recognizing your own modern world in every paragraph. [...] Reading Talk to the Hand, you can enjoy a good laugh to offset the daily rudeness."
--The Kentucky Herald-Leader

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