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Summary: Not just suggestions, but Cranky SOLUTIONS!
Review: Any conversation over coffee will generate answers to the "Why is Everyone so Cranky" question. However, these same conversations won't get you any answers to the "What can we do about it" question. Leslie Charles' book is the perfect place to find practical ways to modify and eliminate our cranky behavior.
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Summary: One of the "must" read books in your life....
Review: I have been in customer service for over 20 years either in restaurants or residential real estate sales. Success in both indicates that people have been my priority. This book is hard to put down. Take any chapter that jumps out at you regarding an aspect of your life, professionally or personally and you will have to rush to tell some one the next morning about your discovery. Recommended in many other bibliographies of time management books and others that hope to have you simplify life and enjoy things more, I found the author to have really hit on society trends we all can relate to in astonishing clarity. You will say "wow, I HAVE noticed that...what has gone wrong?" Her brief depictions of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's and how we as society have evolved is a surefire party topic that gets everyone jumping into the conversation with their own opinions on "why is everyone so cranky?"
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Summary: Don't fall for this garbage... you'll just get crankier!
Review: If you seek a way of lessening your crankiness... do not take the holistic, long-term benefit, self-improvement route that this book might seem to offer. Go buy yourself a CD. A nice lunch. Movie tickets for two. A small bottle of Grey Goose. If the lack-of-answers isn't enough, this sturdy little tome is so thick (and hardcover!) that you cannot read it in places where you will have a lesser tendency towards crankiness: the beach, the bathtub, etc.
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Summary: Don't fall for this garbage... you'll just get crankier!
Review: If you seek a way of lessening your crankiness... do not take the holistic, long-term benefit, self-improvement route that this book might seem to offer. Go buy yourself a CD. A nice lunch. Movie tickets for two. A small bottle of Grey Goose. If the lack-of-answers isn't enough, this sturdy little tome is so thick (and hardcover!) that you cannot read it in places where you will have a lesser tendency towards crankiness: the beach, the bathtub, etc.
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Summary: A "must read" for anyone who needs stress relief!
Review: Leslie Charles' book is not only easy to read, it is written the way most people need a book of this type to be written. You can open up to any page and find practical insights and strategies for keeping your cool even in the most stressful of situations. It doesn't have to be read from cover to cover to make sense....but I'd suggest that you not skip any of it. Leslie's insight and wisdom will stretch your thinking, heighten your own awareness, and deepen your resolve to gain greater control over yourself and your life.
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Summary: I Felt Cranky This Past Month...But Chose a Different Path!
Review: Not everyone is going to like Leslie Charles' message that we are each in charge of our own crankiness. Not everyone is going to want to hear that things to be cranky about are increasing. Most of us don't want to hear that the events that make us most cranky are usually predictable, and thus allow us time to be prepared to choose a different response. For many people, a feeling of anger seems to lurk just below the surface of their consciousness, awaiting ignition. The anger overflows when we experience events such as cancelled flights, poor customer service, and parking attendants who make us a half hour late for a play. And, increasingly, the anger we experience is disproportionately intense. Leslie Charles categorizes issues and events which help to fuel this rage; her categories include compressed time, constant change, and communication overload. The good news is: her book both begins and ends with "and there is hope." In the pages between the hopes, there are a multitude of ideas that anyone can use to find less anger and more peace of mind (not piece of mind!) in their lives. Best of all, Leslie Charles' personality and style shine out from the pages, and make the ideas approachable and doable.
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Summary: What a fun read with "real" information and healthy humor!
Review: The "Cranky" book has been my traveling companion. Not only does it highlight some startling facts and trends, but it also made me laugh. Leslie Charles blends her "real-life" experience (and what a life she has led) with 10 powerful trends. I've been telling many friends this is a fun and important book to read.
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Summary: Crankiness is not in your genes!
Review: There is no question: Civility, both public and private, is sorely acking. Road rage, abusive, coarse language, and absence of simple courtesies such as "Please" and "Thank you" are pretty much the norm. Just look at one pathetic episode of the cranky TV Osbourne family for a reflection of what's going on in our society.
Businesses advertise that customers are kings, so when in the
marketplace, we, the kings, often behave with an "I deserve it" demeanor befitting unaccountable tyrants: Give me this, Do that, I want it now and don't expect a "please" or "thank you" for your service. It's a given that it's okay to act like a jerk when dealing with someone you will never see again. But it is not okay. How we treat others, whether we know them or not, is a reflection of how we perceive ourselves.
If read with a positive open attitude, Why Is Everyone So Cranky? will turn anyone who wants to do better into a more civilized human being. Crankiness is not in our genes. It's learned behavior. Once we understand the underlying causes, we can change.
According to Ms. Charles, one of the major causes of crankiness is having to deal with compressed time. Who isn't in a time crunch? Who has time for anything? Once you understand the reason for excessive busyness, you'll discover new ways to set priorities and take control of your time and be able to have a less stressful life. How about crankiness that morphs into road rage? Charles says, "What is happening on our roads today is a symptom of pent-up anger, not the cause. If you admit to having a problem when you're behind the wheel, please know it's not what happens on the road that triggers your anger, it's that bundle of unresolved issues you're carrying around. If you find yourself getting extremely agitated toward drivers who behave stupidly, understand that your anger is pointing you toward your personal issues. It's not the other party, it's you."
Does impatience cause you to break out into a rash of crankiness? When having to wait in a hospital emergency room, do you believe "My emergency is more urgent than your emergency?" Does having to stand in lines (at the airport, for example) make you mean? Here's the reality according to Charles: "You simply are going to have to stand in lines or sometimes wait for what you want. Take it. Flights will be delayed, even canceled. Endure it. You will be inconvenienced. Count on it. People are
going to do things that irritate you. Expect it." In short, unlike burgers from Burger King, we can't always have it our way. So, Put up with it; Live with it; Acknowledge it; Accept it. Think about it. You can be a happier person.
Leslie Charles delivers some tough love with kid gloves. She makes you think and reflect on your behavior and who you are and why you behave as you do. Why Is Everyone So Cranky? is a book that's difficult to put down because it's written in a way that strikes you to the core with examples of real life situations (hers included) that you will relate to. She challenges you to lovingly look at yourself through fresh, but
realistic eyes. Her advice is insightful, compassionate, and very down to earth. Please buy it for yourself or a cranky pants in your life. You will be glad you did.
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Summary: Prescription for Rage Relief!
Review: This book accomplishes two great things. First, with all its questions and quizzes, it helps you wake up and see exactly what is bugging you/making you cranky. Second, and probably more important, it shows you how to create a life prescription that not only takes care of a lot of the stressful stuff, but sets you on a better path towards personal peace.
Rating: 
Summary: Please read this and laugh at yourself!
Review: This is a great read for anyone needing a stress break. Read it for something different and entertaining that allows you some insights on why you are cranky and how to relieve the tension around you. I read this prior to the holidays and laughed my way through lines and discourteous people. My only criticism is that I wish there was a way to shorten this book so that more people could read it quickly.
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