The Definitive Book of Body Language
by Allan Pease, Barbara Pease
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Book Reviews of The Definitive Book of Body Language
Book Review: Easy, fun read
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a novice when it comes to body language, and this book was a great intro. It shows common body language at work, in courting rituals, etc. It also goes into common body language shown with the face, arms/hands, legs/feet, etc. The book is well written, easy to read, and the authors have a sense of humor that will make you laugh. Last but not least, this book is new - it discussed gestures used by contemporary figures like Tony Blair, G.W.Bush, etc.
The only downsides are two: (1) the book is somewhat basic, and now I feel I will need to follow up with something else, and (2) sometimes the British sense of humor of the author is mixed in with the explanations of a given piece of body language, and it is hard sometimes to know what is irony and what is supposed to be taken at face value.
Overall, great primer - start here if this is your first book on the subject.
Book Review: Definitely Definitive
Summary: 4 Stars
So I was at the San Diego Airport, flipping through books in the bookstore. I caught sight of this book, and opened up to a random section. Fascinated by the hand-shaking section, I read all the way through, avoiding the glances of the employees.
I put the book down eventually and walked away.
Later on, as a fellow who was trying to sell me something came up to me, he held out his hand for the handshake ritual. As he did so, I noticed something odd he did with his hand. At first his hand was in the dominant "palm down," position, to which he immediately switched to a more submissive "palm up" position. He flashed me a fancy smile, and pitched his goods. Not this time boyo!
It is intriguing, realizing what moves sales people will employ to getcha to cough up some cash.
I ordered it from Amazon once I got back to the states. A fun read!
Book Review: Meh. There are better books out there.
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is definitely better than some of the body language books out there but it is certainly not the best. The biggest problem with the book in my opinion is that the author goes on and on and on. Most chapters could be summarized into a couple of pages and the writing style is very showy ("Let me tell you something most people would never dream of!..."). The illustrations are terrible and at times are confusing or ineffective as an examples of what to look for.
Instead of this I would recommend "What every body is saying" by Joe Navarro and ex-FBI interrogator. The book unlike this one is straight to the point and has better/more information presented in a much better format. He also comments on a lot of personal experiences/observations that, while are not backed by any scientific studies, are relevant considering his line of work and are extremely insightful.
Book Review: Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
This was the first book on this subject that I read. I found it very interesting and entertaining. I believe that the book is thought of as an overview of great range of topics, instead of going deep into few.
As an engineer I found the book a bit "silly" in the beginning but then I realized that the nature of the book is such that one should not expect great formally presented wisdom. If you want to open your eyes for body language with out reading 10 advanced books, this is the book you should read.
Topics covered: Job interviews, meetings, pictures, "your image", difference between men and women, tall and short people, how to structure your office, how to take advantage of your body-structure (gender, height...) etc.
I was originally looking for a more formal educating book, but in the end I believe that this is exactly what I needed!
Book Review: Truly Definitive, yet definitions can be rigid
Summary: 4 Stars
The book presents truly comprehensive and detailed descriptions of body language and their analyses. The authors leave very few stones unturned. I would definitely recommend this book as a body language guide. The book could have addressed reading body language in context, rather than as making definitive statements. The authors leave little room for interpretations of certain gestures and movements beyond their own definitions. I'm not talking across cultures, but even within U.S. culture, they tend to make rigid statements about how to read body language in very specific ways. Often, I have observed that you must read individual body language cues within context of other cues. These multiple signals will send a message that may differ from what one originally thought about the first cue. Still, the book serves as a great reference and tool.