I See Rude People: One woman's battle to beat some manners into impolite society [Paperback]

Amy Alkon (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 27, 2009

"This crazy redhead is on to something. Her pink Rambler story alone is worth the price of the book." -- Elmore Leonard

"Amy Alkon is intellectually promiscuous--and funny as hell." -- Paleopsychologist Howard Bloom, author of The Lucifer Principle

We all just suck it up every day. You leave the house for a latte and somebody'll flip you the bird on your way and force their loud cellphone conversation on you once you're there.

It doesn't have to be that way, says award-winning syndicated columnist Amy Alkon. Her hilarious stories of in-your-face encounters with rude people and businesses will inspire you to stand up to the boors in your own world.

Alkon not only gives the offenders a taste of their own medicine, she delves into anthropology, pscyhology, and behavioral science to figure out why we're rude and how we can stop all the intruding, shoving, and shouting. She ensures that all these rude people get their comeuppance:

• Lax parents
• Internet bullies
• Rude drivers
• Negligent businesses
• Telemarketing executives
• Car thieves
• Parking space hogs
• That loud jerk in the drugstore line

In this funny, ferocious and freewheeling expose, Alkon gives you the tools you need to confront these abusers and restore common courtesy, respect and good manners to society...one chastened cellphone shouter at a time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Applied evolutionary psychology at its best. The funniest book I've read since Dave Barry's Big Trouble...also endorsed by Elmore Leonard."

--Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa, London School of Economics, tinyurl.com/kanazrudep --FROM PSYCHOLOGY TODAY (added by author)

"Seriously great book. Alkon is smart and savvy and funny as hell. Where Hannibal the Cannibal only ate the rude, Alkon stands up to them with the sort of glorious panache that sometimes makes you want to stand and cheer." David Middleton FROM JANUARY MAGAZINE (added by author)

About the Author

Amy Alkon writes the advice column The Advice Goddess. She has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Glamour, and Psychology Today and has appeared on "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," NPR, CNN, MTV, "Politically Incorrect," and "Nightline." She blogs daily at advicegoddess.com, can be found on Twitter at amyalkon, and lives in California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (November 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071600213
• ISBN-13: 978-0071600217
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 134 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force! November 16, 2009

By Kingsley R. Browne

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rude people beware: Amy Alkon may see you, and if she does, it is unlikely to be a pleasant experience for you. Car thieves, "underparenting" parents, cell-phone users, and telemarketers have all attracted her ire, and she has responded with persistence and ingenuity in ways that most of us can only dream of. But this book is not just a rant about the unmannered. Alkon skillfully weaves in learning from the fields of psychology and anthropology (among others) to explain why we face such a scourge of the impolite. People have always been "grabby, self-involved jerks," but the anonymity of modern society means that they are no longer constrained by the norms of the small groups that traditionally kept those jerky tendencies in check.

This a book for everyone. Those burdened by the impolite may learn defensive strategies, or at least learn that they have a champion in Amy Alkon. If we're lucky, the impolite will learn that what they do is actually impolite, causing them to change their ways; at the very least, however, they will learn to look over their shoulders.

"I See Rude People" is delightfully entertaining. Those familiar with Alkon's advice column ([...]) will recognize her wit and energy. After reading "I See Rude People," those not familiar with her column will be impelled to make it a regular destination for an "Alkon fix."

118 of 146 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fabulous November 14, 2009

By Sterling R. Braswell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been reading Ms. Alkon's column for many years, and I was prepared to enjoy her book. Amy probably snapped at about the same time I did in regards to 'rude people'. I will quote from page 120: "I thought kids and I had a deal: I'd stay out of Chuck E. Cheese if they stayed out of the martini lounge." This hits me at home from both sides, and I am still laughing.

This book is even better than my expectations. As much as I enjoy visiting her blog, I get involved in the discussions there and sometimes forget that Amy is there. And this book really was an evening with Amy. She's sassy, precocious, and absolutely fabulous in the way she relates her stories and views.

Ms Alkon makes you laugh and makes you think. And from her precisely sharp wit she provides us all with courage to make the world a little more friendly, and a better place.

The advicegoddess is my new Dave Barry. And with much better hair. I can't wait to send copies of her book to friends and foe.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings August 14, 2010

By Alan Mazer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have mixed feelings about this book. I first heard of Amy Alkon through an article somewhere this past week which cited her as an expert on modern-day rudeness, and believe me, I'm sensitive to this topic. Courtesy seems to be in rapid decline. And Alkon, fed up, has some very entertaining stories on how she's started dealing with rude people, from taking the photographs of particularly offensive people (priceless) to billing telemarketers for her time. Interspersed between her anecdotes are a surprising amount of interesting and relevant facts and quotable studies, including a particularly intriguing 150-people-per-village concept, which suggests that there are simply too many of us living in too little real community for us to feel much societal restraint. Her "Don't inflict yourself on other people" motto should be framed and hung everywhere. She's definitely got me thinking about how I can minimize my impact on others around me. The last chapter of the book, in particular, has many very constructive suggestions for coping with and challenging rudeness in the world.

That said, some of her stories don't describe her defending against rudeness as such, but her fights against people (cops and bank workers, for starts) who don't give her the service she feels she deserves, and at these points in the book she loses a little of my sympathy. I've had a car stolen; I've had problems at her bank which were handled professionally. Glossed over in her complaints of how her bank failed to prevent theft from her account is that her bank refunded her money without question. That they refused to help her track down the perpetrator is hardly surprising. Similarly, her story of having her car stolen is sad, and her zeal to recover it impressive, but it's hard to fault the police department for not sending a car just because a friend reportedly saw the stolen auto in traffic. Most police departments have tight budgets and scarce resources, and surely she realizes that crimes of violence will always take priority over property crimes in a city like L.A.

In short, Alkon makes a lot of great points, the book is entertaining and moves quickly, and she cites some very interesting research. But there's a very fine line between actually fighting rudeness and poor service (her suggestions in the last chapter are terrific) and demanding that companies and organizations use their resources to fight injustice against -you-.