Book description
A battle-cry for civilised behaviour from the author of the
multi-million selling Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
"Talk to the hand 'cause the face ain't listening," the
saying goes. When did the world get to be so rude? When did society
become so inconsiderate? It's a topic that has been simmering for years,
and Lynne Truss says that it has now reached boiling point. Taking on
the boorish behaviour that has become a point of pride for some, Talk to
the Hand is a rallying cry for courtesy. Like Eats, Shoots and Leaves,
Talk to the Hand is a spirited conversation, not a stuffy guidebook. It
is not about forks, for a start.
Why hasn't your nephew ever thanked you for that perfect Christmas
present? What makes your builder think he can treat you like dirt in
your own home? When you phone a utility with a complaint (and have
negotiated the switchboard), why can't you ever speak to a person who is
authorised to apologise? What accounts for the appalling treatment you
receive in shops? Most important, what will it take to roll back a
culture that applauds rudeness and finds it so amusing? For anyone who's
fed up with the brutality inflicted by modern manners (and is naturally
too scared to confront the actual yobs), Talk to the Hand is a colourful
call to arms from the wittiest defender of the civilised world. 'So
lively, so witty, so exhilaratingly splenetic' Mail on Sunday
'Highly perceptive, passionately argued and extremely funny … a
brilliantly nailed truth about contemporary life' Sunday Telegraph
'Trademark Truss … (very) readable, (very) funny, (very) engaging'
Observer Lynne Truss is one of Britain's best-loved comic writers and
is the author of the worldwide bestsellers Eats, Shoots & Leaves and
Talk to the Hand. She reviews for the Sunday Times and writes regularly
for radio.
