Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life (or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door)

A book on the matter of manners and what we regard as acceptable behaviour. Highlighted is the changing level of rudeness in society. Mobile phones, email and those dreaded phone customer service operators are a source of annoyance in our modern world. Whilst reading I could relate to many of the

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topics covered by Truss and I agree with her sentiment about the many reasons we should stay at home and bolt the door!!

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I enjoyed the theory parts of this book: a quick recap of why manners develop and how they relate to etiquette and social changes. Other parts were more of a 'Grumpy Old Woman' rant, although I agree with a lot of what Lynne Truss feels about the behaviour of people today. One thing I do object to

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is the title, though: very early in the book Truss says "this isn't true of France" and the use of the word 'world' in the title doesn't reflect the fact that her book is pretty much just about life in the UK, and England in particular. The overcrowded nature of English life is a major contributory factor to the type of rudeness Truss describes (particularly when it comes to travelling public transport), and yet this element didn't get much attention from the author.There were some genuinely funny parts and a few grains of hope for a better future, but the overall feeling I had after reading this short book was one of depression.

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The book is essentially a complaint about modern rudeness, of which the phrase 'talk to the hand', sometimes followed up with ''cos the face ain't listening', is an excellent example. This is not a guide to modern manners or etiquette, as Truss makes clear in her introduction, but there is some

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substance behind the light style, as is demonstrated by the bibliography. Essentially, there are six chapters in which Truss uses a mixture of conjecture, anecdote (lots of anecdotes) and historical detail to express her disgust at the lack of politeness, wonder where it went and establish the reasons why this is a problem.

The issues she targets are unlikely to be divisive, although I do wonder whether teenagers really have any concept of private and public space anymore, so it may not appeal to those who grew up with msn always in the background and a phone in which to shout 'yeah, well, I'm on the TRAIN!' Mobile phone use, unnecessary use of the F-word and eating in public are all criticised and possible explanations for their common occurrence considered.

Although Truss' style is humorous and occasionally made me giggle, the points she makes are those that (if you are like me, anyway,) you can't help nodding along with. Why must people discuss their best mates' sex life at top volume while you're sitting next to them on a bus? In this respect, the book is an insight into modern life in Britain.

Perhaps what is missing from this book is any kind of hope. Truss complains and makes ironic comments a form of 'fighting back' but doesn't seem to see any real hope for change in the future. The message seems to be that society is falling apart due to a general lack of respect and all we can do is look back nostalgically. Still, if you have ever found yourself wondering why on earth you've just been told to 'f-off' by a complete stranger, then this may well be the right book to entertain you for a few hours. That said I would imagine that you'd only really want to read it once, so recommend borrowing it before making a purchase.

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The topic of Lynne Truss’s follow-up to the highly enjoyable Eats, Shoots and Leaves – rudeness and the perceived decline in public manners – is a winner. It’s fun, it’s engaging, and everyone has an opinion on it.

For the most part, this is enough to sustain Talk to the Hand. It’s a

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very short book (just over 200 tiny pages), and since anecdotal evidence of rudeness abounds, Truss is never short of entertaining stories and examples.

But I found Truss’s conclusions unsatisfactory. She implies – but never quite acknowledges – that her own (and many, many other people’s) realistic fear of getting physically assaulted for calling out rude people is the trump card for declining civility. Standards drop because we’re too afraid to enforce them. To her credit, Truss (who identifies herself as a typical Guardian-reading lefty) realizes that to a large degree this unwillingness to confront rudeness is the result of political correctness and class consciousness. She even quotes approvingly Theodore Dalrymple, who is a conservative’s conservative. But she is ultimately unwilling to concede that the conservative view of civility, and indeed of civilization itself, is a better fit for the reality of human nature. Instead, she sputters and obfuscates and throws up her metaphorical hands.

And that’s too bad, because given her readership, Truss misses an opportunity here to really drive home a serious point, and she undercuts the force of her whole book.

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An examination of the collapse of manners in every day life, Lynne Truss unleashes her wit (and exasperation) in an effort to amend the situation. Exploring the six reasons why one should stay home and bolt the door that revolve around the increasing disappearance of manners and the encroaching

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lack of respect that happens as a result, Truss explores the history of manners and the reflections on society that manners have. While there are some very funny moments in the book, I was not as taken with this volume as I was with Eats, Shoots & Leaves, perhaps because manners are not as important to me as grammar and punctuation are. Or perhaps, as Truss argues towards the beginning of the book, I am simply too young for many of these things to bother me. Additionally, this book is almost exclusively focused on the descent of British manners and makes several arguments surrounding the defunct class system that was far more potent on that side of the pond which means that some of the examples used are not as cross-culturally applicable. An interesting read that will make you think and probably chortle a little, and perhaps encourage you to thank the person who held the door open for you.

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One of what seems like an epidemic of books on rudeness lately (or maybe that's my fannish perspective coming into view), but for once the author talks about what is rude and why, rather than suggesting that everyone has a built-in sensor that should tell them when they're being rude! All in all,

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very funny, though more like reading a rant than someone's advice column. On the other hand, I think that's what she was going for.

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A humorous yet sobering essay on modern individuals' lack of consideration for others.

A hilarious look at society's rudeness today. Truss does not pretend to give advice nor an in-depth analysis on the evils of human behaviour; she does also admit that it is a long rant that will go a long way to making her feel better. The fact that I could relate so well to her rant is also a

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testimony to the truthfulness of the situations she describes. I do agree that a bit more civility would not harm anyone and after reading this, I'll try to monitor my Eff-Off reflex and be more gracious.
As a tip to the author who did not react well to ladies being invited by gentlemen, I propose that she accept the offer and return the invitation to the gentlemen at a later date..

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It's a good read, funny and informative. But no where as good as Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

Truss is incredibly well-read, her references are amazing! But that said, I didn't relate to her issues. And very often I thought what's the point?

A commentary on the rudeness of society today. I found that a lot of it ringed true.

Talk to the Hand is an amiable rant about the decline in civil behaviour and the concomitant rise in "utter bloody rudeness". I liked it because it is lighthearted, a quick read, and because it conforms to pretty well all of my own prejudices on the subject.

"...the collapse of manners stands for

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a vast and under-acknowledged problem of social immorality. Manners are based on an ideal of empathy, of imagining the impact of one's own actions on others. They involve doing something for the sake of other people that is not obligatory and attracts no reward. In the current climate of unrestrained solipsistic and aggressive self-interest, you can equate good manners not only with virtue but with positive heroism".

As Truss says, it is really not all that complicated: "all the important rules surely boil down to one: remember you are with other people; show some consideration". Alas, even this simple rule seems beyond the ken of many. Truss rants about the loss of little words such as please and thank you in "supportive interchange" between people; the tendency of modern corporations and service providers to increasingly put the onus and work on the customer; the aggrandizement of personal space to the point where it trumps everything else, including interaction with other people; the universal eff-off reflex; the idea that authority is some kind of personal insult that much be challenged and that deference indicates some kind of inferiority; and finally, that, "The once prevalent idea that, as individuals, we have a relationship with something bigger than ourselves, or bigger than our immediate circle, has become virtually obsolete".

As I said, an enjoyable rant and social commentary.

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I read this last night. Yep. Picked it up at 7ish and finished it at 10ish.

So, it's a quick read.

That's probably the best thing I can say about it.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm not of the right generation (ie, my elbow skin doesn't pucker enough) or because I'm not from the right country (read,

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not English) but I found this book highly annoying.

I read the book feeling like the woman in the dentist's waiting room who shocked and outraged Truss when she said she was listening to the "hi-fi" that Truss wanted to turn off. There was so much of Truss' rant that I just didn't get.

There was a preoccupation with class that also escaped me. Probably the whole not being British thing.

Truss rants about rudeness but then disparages people who are "pro-social." She fusses about people who call her cell phone when she has bad reception but somehow can't come up with the solution of turning it off.

I guess I'm just not in tune with the Grumpy Old Lady school of thought.

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The latest polemic from Lynne Truss rails against bad manners, indifference, a lack of empathy and a general attitute of "Eff Off." Unlike in "Eats, Shoots and Leaves," she doesn't suggest we take stickers to signs or do something that publicly shames the perpetrators of bad manners. Rather, she

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satirically points out 6 excellent reasons to give up on all humanity and live in our own little bubble of personal manners. She examines reasons people may not want to be polite, the mental blocks against "Please," and "I'm sorry" and then gives suggestions on how to become a polite example to the world. You don't have to be self-effacing or kow-tow to people (I always wondered how to spell that-this book was the first time I've seen it in print) in order to be polite and make the world more comfortable for yourself and everyone else.

This book is a quick read and has its funny moments. But, as with her other books, she is very British and all her examples are British. In fact, it amazed me to know she considered Americans more polite than the British. Yes, I found a few spots where I realized I was guilty of her versions of rudeness, and yes, I found myself saying "Stop being a ludite-the Net is here to stay." She won't be taking Emily Post's job anytime soon, but this is a nice reminder to be nice.

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A classic 'book-after-the-famous-one' type book - although I was amazed to see this owned by nearly 1500 librarything members, so it must have done quite well. To be honest, I'm not sure where this came from, or why I read it. It was just someone moaning in a not particularly amusing way about

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people being slightly rude, page after page. To be fair, Lynne Truss came across as likeable enough, and the book was easy reading. I'd really like to read about Truss's time as a sports correspondent next time.

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Picture a 1970s avocado kitchen, when a phone rings. Two teenagers set into action, from far corners of the house, a Super Bowl moment complete with sprints, hurdles, tackles and tumbles. As they turn the corner, into the phone nook, a very tired mother intercepts the play.

The caller wishes to

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speak to the lovely daughter of the house. With a smug smile, the phone is now taken on a journey, through lush jungle and arid desert (past the pantry and into the laundry room) where it rest behind two closed doors. Ah, the cords of a ‘70s phone.

Now, within the lair, two 13 year-old girls hash-out some dastardly plan. Although the lair is behind closed doors, the conversation is hushed, for brother could be lurking.

What has happened to the privacy aspect of phones? Cell phones are everywhere and people seem to feel they have the right to yap in the most public of places. Why are we subjected to overhearing these banal exchanges? Do we really care if you fed the dog or picked up the dry cleaning?

In Talk to the Hand by Lynn Truss, the author writes of prolific ill-mannered habits employed by the masses. You may remember the author’s 2004 title, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Her hilarious look at our lackadaisical treatment of the English language spent 25 weeks on the bestseller’s list. It has been suggested her next book be titled, Presses, Pants and Flies.

I love the way she opens her new book, Talk to the Hand. She actually gives thanks to the “nameless people who were rude” to her. She gained free research from all those who cut her off in traffic, forgot to say excuse me, or let a curse word drop into her normally curse-free ears.

She never had a topic so “in her face” and a title so easily obtained. The title originates from our Jerry Springer culture that insists you talk to the hand because the face isn’t listening. Although the gesture is passé, the attitude continues. For it is my observation, you have to talk to the hand because the face is talking to the other hand, which is curled around a cell phone.

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I like the wit of Lynne Truss and could readily relate to many of the stories in this book. It was very good for a laugh and to generally feel better about leaving your house.

Very funny look at rudeness in modern society, particularly in the UK.

Whereas "ES&L" had humorous moments, this text was much more strident, and therefore much less enjoyable.

"Talk to the Hand" is a commentary on the lack of manners and civility in English society today, with the occasional inclusion of some of the more bizarre aspects of American society. I suspect that enjoyment of this delightful little book is predicated on the extent of one’s agreement with the

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author. In my case, that agreement was substantial. Since I share many (although not all) of the pet peeves with which Truss deals, and because her humor is a type that I find especially appealing, the book was a pleasure to read. Still, it really wasn’t quite as good as her book on punctuation.

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Rudeness in our world. The subtitle says it all. Reading this book makes you feel it is somehow a nicer world.

I picked this up for almost nothing in a bookshop on Charing Cross Rd. I really enjoyed Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Truss, and thought I would similarly enjoy this. Not really - it just didn't quite flow, and didn't make sense at times.

Very funny and scarily accurate.

At first, despite Truss's denials, this reads like straight-forward crotchetiness. However, it gets interesting a little later, with for example p. 46, Surely if we hold doors open, we are acting altruistically? Yet our furious, outraged, jumping-up-and-down reaction when we are not thanked would

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indicate that we hold doors open principally to procure the reward of a public pat on the back."

Finished. That bit did turn out to be about the most nuanced, thoughtful bit in the book.

I'm not convinced A) that Truss doesn't value etiguette over manners, despite her protestations, or B) that rudeness and the kind of respect and kindness that go with it are on the increase. I believe that as we get older we feel it more due to a cumulative effect.

Nor do I know who she believes will read and benefit from this. Anyone who does pick it up will be sympathetic already, yet feel as if they are already impeccably mannered."

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Good idea but too much editorializing for me to get into the meat