Sub-titled "And Never Feel Powerless Again," this book takes a "command and conquer" approach to life.  The more I read, the more I realized that… I don't really have a need to learn how to get anyone to do anything.  I'm not a sales person, and I no longer work in a corporate environment where winning arguments and driving the conversation is important.  Lucky me!

I checked this book out for a laff, expecting to find a lot of cheesy salesman style Jedi mind trick advice.  My biggest surprise was that most of the book was actually fairly reasonable.  

For example, on the section "Get Anyone To Say What He's Really Thinking," the advice is to ask "What do you think?"  And then when they say "Oh it's great," as of course they will, you follow up with another question.  "What would it take to make it REALLY great," for example, or "What would you have done differently?"

This is the kind of coping strategy that I often wished came with Life, when I was younger and fumbling my way through the world.  I think that's a common experience for socially inept computer geeks like myself.  Half of the advice in this book I would whole-heartedly recommend for socially awkward people looking for a primer on conversational tactics.

Unfortunately, the other half of the advice is just… just terrible.  I don't see how anyone can put some of these tactics into effect, without being the greatest actor in the world.  For example, if you suspect your husband of having an affair with his secretary, Lieberman recommends that you bring up something that alludes to this crime.  

"Casually, maybe over dinner, she would say, "Gee, you know what, honey?  My boss, Jim, I think he may be having an affair with his secretary."

That's the kind of thing that goes over a lot better in the movies than it does in real life, trust me.

The problem here lies in teasing apart which advice falls into which category.  Is it good advice to ask the receptionist to draw a smiley face beside your message before they pass it up to the boss?  A smiley face will make the message stand out, certainly, but it isn't the most professional thing in the world.  If I ever received a "While You Were Out" message from someone who had asked the receptionist to draw a smiley face on it, it would certainly give me pause.

Other tactics are downright car salesman sleazy.  Best way to get someone to return your message?  Say "I appreciate what you've done… Please give me a call, I'd like to thank you personally."  

Hey, that's great!  And when they call me back I can be all "Thanks for returning my call, that's so awesome!  So what kind of financing do you want on that Toyota?  You know, the owner's daughter has her eye on that model, so you'd better snap it up now!"  (Lieberman elsewhere advocates a time limit to encourage a sense of urgency.)

There's some good stuff in here, but I strongly advise you to keep your wits about you.  Unless you're a high pressure salesperson, in which case: Here's a spoon!  Eat up!