On Being Nice: This Guidebook Explores the Key Themes of 'Being Nice' and How We Can Achieve This Often Overlooked Accolade. by The School of LifeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A lovely little book (a perfect holiday read) about being self-aware and socially aware among other people. I absolutely loved the definition of a frank person (which is a definition of me as well), and I wish more people could see where the naive frankness comes from and that it is not the same as being unkind (quite the opposite). Moreover, the definition of a polite person was also very revealing - why do people involve themselves in small talks about news or the weather, why do they tip-toe around others? Are we all the same or deeply different? How to be a better listener or just a better dinner party guest? All of these questions are investigated in this book, in a very kind and forgiving manner, sometimes even too forgiving (the chapter about "innocent" lies went a bit too far for my taste and felt a bit self-serving). However, it is a perfect book for those who judge others or feel judged by others all the time. It's a bridge-building piece of advice on how to be self-aware and socially aware the same time.
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