Magic Words: 101 Ways to Talk Your Way Through Life's Challenges

by Howard Kaminsky, Alexandra Penney

A comprehensive collection of powerful phrases to help you face a variety of life’s challenges.

Travelers to foreign countries often carry handy phrase books to help them navigate uncharted territory. Now there’s a guide for getting through tough times in plain English–an essential selection of well-honed phrases to help you soothe and smooth your way through any prickly situation.

Divided into three sections–Magic Words to say to yourself, to others, and for universal situations–this invaluable guide contains the verbal keys to the kingdom. Protect yourself in the midst of a tongue-lashing (“Are you actually yelling at me?”); politely remind an obnoxious cell-phone abuser to be courteous (“Don’t forget, you’re not in a phone booth”); or chant this mantra when things seem to be slipping over the edge (“If you want to gain control, you have to give up control”).

Life is full of little, and big, stumbling blocks. Whether you’re dealing with an over-inflated ego, meddling in-laws, or even creating the problems yourself, this sharp little handbook has all the Magic Words you need to get through the toughest of times.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kasandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this sounded like a great idea, a kind of verbal etiquette + deflection book, but upon reading, it quickly became banal, as well as utterly unrealistic. I mean, seriously, can you imagine me saying "Dear, that's more than I care to know", instead of "TMI! TMI!"... though there were a few gems in here, including "This stress belongs to you", "Are you actually yelling at me?", "Let's quit while we're behind", "Let me think about it", and "There are some boxes you should just not open". Cute, but really not worth reading the whole thing.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little snippets of advice to curb you getting in your own way. Think…life’s little instruction book from someone’s point of view. I mean we’ve all learned things along the way that after putting into practice actually work. Helpful and funny at times.

[Lisa Petunia Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy peasy read with some good suggestions.

[ثمین پذیرائی · Rating 3 out of 5]

فکر میکردم به دردنخور باشه ولی مطالب خوبی هم داشت🌱

[Abdulrahman Alshammari · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you draw the line, do it in cement