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Rating: 
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: Before I read this book, I felt lonely and misunderstood.After reading only a few pages, I realized that I was dyssemic.Dr Duke and Dr. Nowicki gave me alot of practical advice, which I followed. As a result,for the first time in my life I now have friends, go out on dates, and have gotten two promotions on my job. These brilliant professors have done a great service to people like me, and I think that they should be commended for it.
Rating: 
Summary: too much fluff, too many stories
Review: The book is about non-verbal behavior, very important part of communication, since it involves about 70% of communication, the other 30% being verbal communication. I definately agree with both of the authors that most of the people don't use it to their advantage, in in the end, feel that they are not effective, yet, they can't quite put the finger on the problem as to why they are not respected, or listened to. Non-verbal communication consists of touch, facial expressions, fashion, rhythms, timing and so on.
The book is logical, and really, just common sense. My problem with the book is that it has so little to say about each topic. This book is filled with stories, case studies. When in reality, this book could have been condensed to no more than 1 page. Instead, the authors try to fill the space with endless redundunt shallow stories. They try so hard to sound self-important, they boast that they had invented a term for it -"dissimic", which simply means someone who does not communicate well non-verbally. In reality the book is about 10% good stuff, and 90% padding and stuffing.
It will make you aware of the subject, but this book is nothing new. I am sure, any communication 101 book will do a better job, with less reading.
How does one help him/herself to better communicate non-verbally? Well, according to the authors, you should find an older gentleman at work, who will constantly watch you interact with others, and after work, authors suggest, you will meet with your teacher, and go over your behavior.. Hmmm.. I am not sure about this advice..a better choice for me was Body Language by Gordon Wainwright.
Rating:
Summary: The only practical self-help book I've ever read...
Review: This book is a tremendous resource for anyone who sees the incongruence between their own self-perception and the perception of others, or their perception of others, and would like to correct it. It breaks down the elements of non-verbal communication with descriptions that are in plain English, with plenty of practical self-evaluation tests that require the reader to engage with the book. I've never found self-books very helpful, as the authors often diverge from a psychology discussion into philosophy, but this book stays true to its promise. I highly recommend it.I would have to disagree with the review by the Library Journal; a "mentor" should not be a family member or close friend, but should be someone who can remain objective and provide valuable, non-biased feedback. I certainly wouldn't ask someone too close to me to give me this kind of intense, constructive criticism. I tried to do the peer evaluation with a close friend, and realized how awkward it was for him to answer the difficult questions about me. I, however, found a opportunity with a empathetic manager after a recent performance review to provide this sort of mentoring.
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