Customer Reviews

Why is Everyone So Cranky?: The Ten Trends Complicating Our Lives and What We Can Do About Them

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We've all asked the question, "Why is everyone so cranky?" countless times but C. Leslie Charles is the first person I know who has actually attempted to answer the question. And boy, does she answer it! She not only shares the 10 trends that are making us cranky, but she offers constructive solutions that can be applied by us all, no matter what our state of crankiness is. She has a way of getting inside our minds, but better yet, she gets inside our hearts and reminds us that nobody has to be cranky. We choose our attitudes and reactions. This is a well-written, at times entertaining, book that makes you think, laugh at yourself, and resolve to do better. Just reading this book will make you want to work harder at being less cranky. Thank you for holding the mirror up to us, Leslie!

Leslie Charles provides us with a wonderfully witty approach to dealing honestly with the increasing crankiness that each of us encounters and produces on a daily basis.

She provides a frank assessment of the current level of stress existing in the world and also practical and positive steps for improving the situation.

More than just theories, I deeply appreciate the fact that Charles has actually used these steps to improve her own life. If she was able to overcome so many obstacles, I know that there is hope for all of us to do so by following her advice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a difference in the world.

This book accomplishes two great things. First, with all its questions and quizzes, it helps you wake up and see exactly what is bugging you/making you cranky. Second, and probably more important, it shows you how to create a life prescription that not only takes care of a lot of the stressful stuff, but sets you on a better path towards personal peace.

There is no question: Civility, both public and private, is sorely acking. Road rage, abusive, coarse language, and absence of simple courtesies such as "Please" and "Thank you" are pretty much the norm. Just look at one pathetic episode of the cranky TV Osbourne family for a reflection of what's going on in our society.

Businesses advertise that customers are kings, so when in the
marketplace, we, the kings, often behave with an "I deserve it" demeanor befitting unaccountable tyrants: Give me this, Do that, I want it now and don't expect a "please" or "thank you" for your service. It's a given that it's okay to act like a jerk when dealing with someone you will never see again. But it is not okay. How we treat others, whether we know them or not, is a reflection of how we perceive ourselves.

If read with a positive open attitude, Why Is Everyone So Cranky? will turn anyone who wants to do better into a more civilized human being. Crankiness is not in our genes. It's learned behavior. Once we understand the underlying causes, we can change.

According to Ms. Charles, one of the major causes of crankiness is having to deal with compressed time. Who isn't in a time crunch? Who has time for anything? Once you understand the reason for excessive busyness, you'll discover new ways to set priorities and take control of your time and be able to have a less stressful life.

How about crankiness that morphs into road rage? Charles says, "What is happening on our roads today is a symptom of pent-up anger, not the cause. If you admit to having a problem when you're behind the wheel, please know it's not what happens on the road that triggers your anger, it's that bundle of unresolved issues you're carrying around. If you find yourself getting extremely agitated toward drivers who behave stupidly, understand that your anger is pointing you toward your personal issues. It's not the other party, it's you."

Does impatience cause you to break out into a rash of crankiness? When having to wait in a hospital emergency room, do you believe "My emergency is more urgent than your emergency?" Does having to stand in lines (at the airport, for example) make you mean? Here's the reality according to Charles: "You simply are going to have to stand in lines or sometimes wait for what you want. Take it. Flights will be delayed, even canceled. Endure it. You will be inconvenienced. Count on it. People are
going to do things that irritate you. Expect it." In short, unlike burgers from Burger King, we can't always have it our way. So, Put up with it; Live with it; Acknowledge it; Accept it. Think about it. You can be a happier person.

Leslie Charles delivers some tough love with kid gloves. She makes you think and reflect on your behavior and who you are and why you behave as you do. Why Is Everyone So Cranky? is a book that's difficult to put down because it's written in a way that strikes you to the core with examples of real life situations (hers included) that you will relate to. She challenges you to lovingly look at yourself through fresh, but
realistic eyes. Her advice is insightful, compassionate, and very down to earth. Please buy it for yourself or a cranky pants in your life. You will be glad you did.

I have been in customer service for over 20 years either in restaurants or residential real estate sales. Success in both indicates that people have been my priority. This book is hard to put down. Take any chapter that jumps out at you regarding an aspect of your life, professionally or personally and you will have to rush to tell some one the next morning about your discovery. Recommended in many other bibliographies of time management books and others that hope to have you simplify life and enjoy things more, I found the author to have really hit on society trends we all can relate to in astonishing clarity. You will say "wow, I HAVE noticed that...what has gone wrong?" Her brief depictions of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's and how we as society have evolved is a surefire party topic that gets everyone jumping into the conversation with their own opinions on "why is everyone so cranky?"

'good thing I read this before the holidays... it should save me from an arrest! Now I know why I am cranky and why you're cranky too! I bought one for my in-laws! Just kidding... Cranky does more than answer the obvious... it gives real-world solutions to make life more fun!

The "Cranky" book has been my traveling companion. Not only does it highlight some startling facts and trends, but it also made me laugh. Leslie Charles blends her "real-life" experience (and what a life she has led) with 10 powerful trends. I've been telling many friends this is a fun and important book to read.

Everyone seems cranky, even me sometimes. But now I have an anti-crankiness guide. Thanks for this clever, intelligent, and well-written book by Leslie Charles we can all improve our cranky quotient... from Ann Brandt, author of "Crowfoot Ridge"

Any conversation over coffee will generate answers to the "Why is Everyone so Cranky" question. However, these same conversations won't get you any answers to the "What can we do about it" question. Leslie Charles' book is the perfect place to find practical ways to modify and eliminate our cranky behavior.

I've personally witnessed the life journey from cocoon to butterfly flight of author and educator Leslie Charles so aptly described in her latest literary sensation "Why is Everyone So Cranky?" This author embodies the principles she professes; and her experiences encompass her obvious never-ending hunger for personal and professional growth. Always inspiring as a professional speaker and trainer, Leslie's articulate writings in this book should become a benchmark for our own striving.