Customer Reviews

Body Language

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I've noticed a lot of negative reviews for this book. They seem to be written by people who think there is some mysterious science, or set of "tricks" that can be deployed using body language.

This is not a book of tricks. It will not teach you any weird occultic secrets or mystical rites. If you're looking for the "unfair advantage" that gets so heavily hyped on the Web, it's not here. It's not anywhere else, either (lol).

This IS, however, a great book for understanding the essential science of nonverbal communication through body language. It is an awesome introduction to the science and, frankly, none of the books that have followed have done much to improve on it.

A couple of specifics...If you want to know if a woman is interested in you, that section of this book is pretty good. If you want to learn how to communicate your interest in a woman, without having to say a word, read the chapter about "Mike." It's dynamite. I've used it many times to express attraction for a woman. It works like magic.

And the wild thing is, these techniques also create attraction in women when you use them.

So don't believe the "short cut" seekers who have blasted this book. It's a cool, wise, intriguing read.

You probably want a guide to body language. This isn't it. This is an attempt to define the study of body language as a science. It offers very few concrete examples of body language because that isn't its point.

There are many other books on body language out there that probably serve your purpose better.

However, if you're interested in the philosophy of science, and the margins of the social sciences, then this book is a primary source from the 1970s.

This book has very little substance whatsoever. It should have been no longer than a magazine article. If the information in the book is true, all you need to know is don't waste your time studying body language because because it is too unreliable of a form of communication. Not even worth $5.20.

Simply said, this book is far too general to be of any use. It makes the case that there is such a thing as body language, and that it can be read, and that it is very useful, but it does not teach you anything on how to read body language. If I were you I wouldn't bother reading this book.

Taking into account the cultural climate change, you'll quickly realized just how dated this book has become. I wouldn't recommend this book if your seriously planning on studying the subject. Most of the theorems has since been proven wrong. The book even makes use of the word 'square' to describe what today would be called a dork.

This book was first published in 1970. Maybe, at that point in time, people found the little bit of common sense in here helpful,I find that hard to beleive. Julius was very evasive in its explanations of his theories.

Better books on the topic are Nonverbal Communication In Human Interaction by Mark L. Knapp, and Nonverbal Communication by Horst Ruthrof.

This is a grandfather of body language books. It is one of the few that kicked off the discussion of body language and non-verbal commincation. What some of the reviewers are looking for is a book of poker tells or a college text book. Communications was my major in college so I have read dozen's of "in-depth" books on this matter. The book is short and the content is brief but well written. I say it is a great read for anyone interested in the subject. Take it for what it is and enjoy.

This book was first printed in 1971; for that time it was cutting edge stuff, it isn't that useful today.
If you're new to body language you should start with Allan Pease - Body Language, it also has illustrations that help you see the actual body language that he writes about.

Like a previous reviewer said, you can read this for its historical value, it has some good info in it, but overall I felt that I didn't really get anything out of reading it.

The other reviews on this work seem to be all over the lot.
I found the book useful because the author provided specific
examples of how to read people in a variety of situations in
business and other areas of your personal life. Much time is
spent on " space protection" and "territory". The author explains
classic behaviors when we "invade" another's space. Behavioral
manifestations involving unwelcomed space trespass are nervousness
and simply walking away or fleeing temporarily.

There is a part on "masks"; wherein , the author explains various
contexts where we seek to hide our true feelings-although this
aspect gets harder with advancing age. Even crossing legs
can have meaning or it can be innocent depending upon the context. Overall, the author makes us mindful of many behaviors
which can be interpreted variously in a variety of contexts
both personal and business. These are considerations which
we should keep in mind rather than " hard and fast rules".
The book is valuable for the fine nuances it makes clear.

This is a classic little book about the art of reading body language. As the editor of Charm Magazine, I've researched this topic in depth. This book doesn't tell it all, but it is THE place to start. I assure you that all the body language authors out there have read this book.

Readers may be turned off by some of the outdated scenarios and old-fashioned language. The use of "men" to describe both men and women is particularly confusing, especially because Fast sometimes uses "men" to mean just men.

Some surprising topics covered in this book include communicating with animals, viewing people as "non-persons" (which is quite relevant to issues like sexism), and even S&M.

On a personal note, I was pleased to see a section on "bedroom eyes," a phrase I've heard for years without truly understanding what it referred to, lol.

Another section of interest is a brief foray into the body language used in the Arab world. I can't vouch for the accuracy of his research into the Arab culture, but it's worth thinking about, especially in our post 9/11 world.