Rating: 
Summary: Liberate Yourself from Jerks.
Review: This book has an excellent premise: the only way to deal with difficult people is to change the way you respond to them. Think about it. Do any of us ever do what we want to do all the time? Of course not. How many New Year's resolutions have we broken? Well, if we can't control our own behavior for our own good, how can we control someone else's especially when that person's obnoxious ways satisfies some perverse need? Some books on interpersonal conflict recommend that the reader resort to planning biting comebacks or simply ignoring the offending party. Rick and Rick offer more positive and healthier solutions (such as being more empathetic without being a punching bag) that if implemented will help the reader stay sane when under attack and eventually learn to stay above the fray.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad but there are other options out there
Review: This book is a good introduction to the major types of annoying people and basic techniques for dealing with them. It seems to be primarily aimsed at business people. I wouldn't recommend it for those who want to improve family relationships.
Other points: if you're looing for a detailed guide for dealing with difficult people in a wide variety of possible situations, this isn't a book I'd recommend. The focus is on identifying the ten most annoying people (whiners, know-it-alls, snipers, etc) along with some limited suggestions for maximizng positive communication. It is basically up to the reader to figure out how to do that in specific situations, althnougb a few examples are given throughout the book.
This isn't a terrible book but it is an introductory guide at best. There are better choices out there.
Rating:
Summary: A book that really helps!
Review: This is the finest book I've read on handling difficult people. As a training director for a large company, I've read many books on this subject, and trained interpersonal skills for years. This book is the CLEAREST, most practical book on the subject. The ten types of difficult people are now in my vocabulary, and help me instantly size up a situation so I can handle it better. The authors detail practical steps to take with each style, making it easier to increase your confidence in difficult situations. Most of all the authors encourage the reader to change his or her behavior, and the last chapter even offers the idea of the reader being a difficult person, in order to further reinforce the skills that this book teaches. A real winner, and a book that has helped my career and my sanity.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read!
Review: You know these people from the office: the dominating Tank, the undermining Sniper, the explosive Grenade and the smarmy Know-It-All. For your sake, here's hoping you only have one or two of them running around your cubicle farm. Unfortunately, the work world is fraught with complainers, cheats, toadies and downers. To avoid becoming a downer yourself, you need coping strategies. Authors Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner describe 10 difficult, if slightly contrived, personalities and provide communications techniques for dealing with them. This is not a textbook, being slim on attributions and facts. It is, rather, a feel-good handbook of simple suggestions for using tactics and popular psychology to deal with someone you'd actually rather strangle. Given that choice, conversation is a better strategy. We hope it works for you, and suggests this light but well-intentioned book to human resources professionals, managers with problem employees and you, if you're feeling particularly homicidal about that knuckle-cracking, gum-popping slacker in the next cubby.
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