The author, Berthold Gunster, is well known in the Netherlands for his 'omdenken' approach, something that translates to 'think differently' or 'reframing'. His fresh, original advice on how to deal with problematic situations in different ways than we normally do is often eye opening and inspiring.
This book focusses on some different ways to communicate and to react to the people around us. Gunster cleverly sets up a number of cases that he only 'solves' towards the end of the book, based on the principles he explains in the heart of the book.
Even though I am impressed by the creative ways in which he reframes and reorients certain situations, I wish the book had provided a clearer set of rules on how to master this different approach in any situation. I'm left with the feeling that a lot of the examples in the book rely on quick, clever thinking right there and then, which is not something most of us are able to do on the spot.
So the book is convincing in that it shows that there are often other, more helpful ways to communicate than we normally do, but how to apply this in your own life is left to the reader. A short summary and systemization of the techniques examplified in the book would have been helpful.