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How to be More Interesting
How to be More Interesting
Sep 20, 2024 11:09 PM

Author:Edward de Bono

How to be More Interesting

THE classic work about changing yourself and how others see you from the world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono

People spend vast amounts of money, time and energy to achieve and maintain beauty, and yet despite its undisputed importance few of us devote similar efforts to be interesting. It is often thought that intelligence, beauty and confidence make you more interesting. This is not true. Being interesting is actually a state of mind.

In How to be More Interesting, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono reveals how playing with ideas, making connections, speculating and using the imagination are at the heart of being an interesting person.

With seventy exercises that will help you bring humour, insight and surprise to everyday situations, this book will ensure that people not only find you fascinating company but also won't be able to forget you.

Reviews

Praise for The Democracy Project: 'Clear, pungent and right ... a compact and incisive account of why capitalism has run with such a smash into the buffers'

—— Times Higher Education

Graeber's talent is to take big concepts and unpack them, forcing us to examine their implications for society ... the book is a cool drink of water after so much dry, academic writing on the "revolutions" of 2011'

—— New Statesman

Captures the joys and fears of a movement

—— Observer

The most influential radical political thinker of the moment

—— New Yorker

This book is a “must read” not only because it is about a fascinating topic – the nature of the unconscious mind – but because it is an engaging and accessible book by the scientist who did the groundbreaking research. Everyone should read it.

—— Timothy D. Wilson

I predict that this book will be the most important and exciting book in psychology that has been written in the past twenty years. Now Bargh reveals a new science of the unconscious that busts these outdated myths ... These are powerful revelations.

—— John Gottman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington

John Bargh is – without exception, without exaggeration, and without competition – the world's foremost authority on the unconscious mind ... and it is no surprise that he has received virtually every award science can offer. [Before You Know It] is ... a spellbinding tour, written by the undisputed master.

—— Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of the international bestseller 'Stumbling on Happiness'

Professor John Bargh has been a consistently and systematically amazing social scientist for decades with his insights, observations, studies, and perhaps most important – their implications for the way we live and the aspects of our life that we take for granted... We can expect a fabulous book.

—— Dan Ariely, PhD, Duke University, author of New York Times bestseller 'Predictably Irrational'

Dittrich deftly mixes science with murky family memoir.

—— Helen Brown , Daily Telegraph

It’s an extraordinary story.

—— Clive Davis , The Times

This satisfying account is reported with appropriate detachment by a writer with a deep personal connection. Beautifully told, Patient H.M. should remind us how close we are in time to gargantuan errors in the practice of medicine.

—— Carla Johnson , Yahoo

There is much memorable in Dittrich’s book.

—— Jonathan Mirsky , Literary Review

Luke Dittrich’s first book is impressively well written… He has woven family recollections of his grandfather… into one fascinating account.

—— Charlie Hegarty , Catholic Herald

There’s one woman who is particularly inspiring me right now…. Christie Watson, who wrote this book called The Language of Kindness... She was an NHS nurse and it is an autobiographical book and it is absolutely breath-taking and it is incredibly affecting and I think it highlights the need for us to be helping nurses where we can. She just is an incredibly strong woman

—— Emilia Clarke

Through Watson, we are taken on an absorbing, all-seeing tour through the doors of the hospital ... In Watson's honest memoir, we are reminded that we are all made from the same fibres and are all in this together, exploring the human condition and learning the language of kindness

—— Molly Case , The Observer

Christie Watson is a remarkable writer turning her attention to a crucially important conversation. This book is eloquent, moving and searingly relevant to all of us

—— Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall

Remarkable, unforgettable... This page-turning account of how nurses routinely dig deep into their souls to dispense care and compassion in increasingly challenging conditions also packs a massive emotional punch... A remarkable reflection on care, empathy and compassion

—— Caroline Sanderson , Sunday Express

This beautiful memoir – tender, informative, unflinching, every sentence filled with compassion – has reminded me that when I have felt most alone I am, of course, not alone at all

—— Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

An eye-opener ... written with real tenderness

—— Good Housekeeping

A highly intelligent writer bringing all her narrative skills to bear on a profession in which she spent 20 years ... what emerges time and again is that nursing is about so much more than medicine ... Christie Watson is a wonderful writer. But I can't help thinking she was an even better nurse

—— Melanie McDonagh , Evening Standard

Watson writes so well, movingly but sparingly, that the result is a profoundly vivid impression of working in a busy hospital

—— Jessamy Calkin , The Daily Telegraph

I was enthralled from the start. Nurses’ voices are rarely heard and Christie is so honest, wise and observant of people that she is just the person to do their story justice. And of course she writes beautifully. The image that stayed with me long after I had put the book down was of the nurse always with the patient, even after everybody else has gone

—— Suzanne O'Sullivan, author of It's All in Your Head

Christie Watson writes with the fullness of her heart to give us insight into the world of patients and nursing, inspiring us to recognise it is how we treat people, how we speak and respond to them, as well as what we do, that heals. Its message of self-compassion and kindness is as useful for those of us outside the medical world, as in it

—— Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works

It's that combination of fierce compassion and unflinching honesty about the human cost of nursing which makes this such a compelling and universally relevant book. It couldn't be more topical, or timeless, and the fact that it's written with an elegant grace that makes it a joy to read doesn't hurt either

—— Eilis O'Hanlon , Irish Independent

There is so much love in this book that it makes the tears bearable. Christie Watson has written a beautiful and lyrical account of the true meaning of a nurse’s life

—— Amanda Foreman

Christie Watson shines the wisest of lights on the daily practice of caring for others. She celebrates kindness that is rooted in true respect for human dignity and equality – a kindness without which society would be a much sadder place. This piercingly tender book will make you laugh, cry and reflect on what life is all about

—— Nicky Parker, publisher at Amnesty International UK

Moving, eloquent, funny, inspiring -- an urgent book for our times

—— Sarah Bakewell, author of At the Existentialist Cafe

Terrifically moving memoir of caring and compassion on the nursing front line

—— Sunday Times

A remarkable book… Watson illustrates why a nurse has a harder job than 99 per cent of lawyers (I am one) and deserves to be paid more. Absolutely brilliant!

—— Clive Stafford Smith OBE, human rights lawyer

More than a memoir, The Language of Kindness exerts the power of a gripping novel threaded with science, philosophy, history and ethics. Like poetry, it resists paraphrase. A quick summary is out of the question, this brilliant life-changing book has to be experienced ... Watson is a funny, totally loveable narrator but this book is a serious shock to the system -- a journey to the underworld, our hard-working guide an observant Virgil to the 21st century

—— Martina Evans , Irish Times

If you want to know what nursing is, then read this book

—— Robert Sowney, Chair, RCN Foundation

This is a phenomenal book, a love song for the NHS and its staff - the hundreds of millions of us who have gained from it throughout our lives have Christie Watson to thank for delivering it on our behalf. Passionate, political, heartbreaking, it is beautifully written in the fiercely honest language of kindness itself

—— Stella Duffy

Profoundly moving... urging us all to lead a life of greater compassion

—— Charlotte Heathcote and Jon Coates , Daily Express

An astonishing account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness, and an urgent reminder of the need for these qualities in the NHS - and everyday life - from a nurse with 20 years' experience

—— Red Magazine

A remarkable book - intelligent, impassioned, consistently moving - that can’t help but make readers revisit the sharpest spikes of life, where nurses often are. Christie Watson looks directly at the fragility of human existence, and the importance of what we choose to value. I can't think of many better uses of writing, nor of writing more likely to make me a better person

—— Richard Beard

I defy anyone to finish this without weeping and giving thanks to the NHS ... An important book that should be on every reading list

—— Fanny Blake , Woman & Home

Christie Watson’s book brings home the incredible strength and determination that nurses working in our critically underfunded NHS must possess – and how wildly underappreciated they are

—— Rachael Jolley, Editor, Index on Censorship

Gripping and tender

—— Radio Times

A remarkable reflection on care, empathy and compassion ... packs massive emotional impact ... I urge you to read it

—— Caroline Sanderson , The Bookseller

This tender, truth-telling memoir will break your heart into little pieces ... This book is a salient reminder that at some point we are all going to need care and we can only hope we'll get someone like Christie who understands the need for "sympathy, compassion, empathy" in our most vulnerable moments

—— Eithne Farry , The Simple Things

The award-winning novelist writes about her 20 years as a nurse, taking us from life to death of the wards in a moving account

—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday Express

As Watson observes, the ability to step into another’s shoes is essential for both nurse and novelist. So too is an eagle eye, and it is the details that prove so unforgettable ... I found myself compelled to go back, and freshly moved and humbled

—— Stephanie Cross , The Lady

A highly emotional and eloquent retelling of different patients, staffers, experiences and departments ... A much-needed human voice

—— Tanya Sweeney , The Irish Times

[Watson] writes with such considered awareness of medical procedure and resources, human frailty and resilience, that you know she dug deep for this book ... You are also privy to an extraordinary world and appreciate Watson's lasting belief: that most of us are inherently kind - and the better for showing it

—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury's Magazine

The Language of Kindness is teeming with humanity ... [It] puts other memoirs to shame, by narrating an ordinary working life which nevertheless confronts the dark, the sublime, the transcendental

—— Roisin Kiberd , Sunday Business Post

Her book makes harrowing, heart-rendering reading.

—— Helen Brown , Daily Mail

An engaging and authentic portrait of modern care ... Through Watson’s inclusion of relevant statistics and historical facts, as well as her meticulous observation skills, readers will better understand the value of nurses

—— Library Journal

Hypnotic prose ... quiet brilliance ... This is a wake-up book in the best possible way, a study in-the-round: amusing, hilarious even, enthralling and sad, and definitely an indictment of our time

—— The Arts Desk

We hear far less often from nurses and therapists… It’s time we heard their side of the story. And who better to tell it than this nurse-turned-award-winning literary novelist.

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday Express

Anecdotal story-telling wrapped up in hypnotic prose… This is a wake-up book in the best possible way, a study in-the-round: amusing, hilarious even, enthralling and sad, and definitely an indictment of our time.

—— Marina Vaizey , The Arts Desk

A remarkable book. I learned more in chapter 3 than I have in all the other books I’ve read this year. Watson illustrates why a nurse has a harder job than 99 per cent of lawyers (I am one) and deserves to be paid more. Absolutely brilliant!

—— Clive Stafford Smith OBE, human rights lawyer

The Language of Kindness flows so beautifully, and naturally. Christie adds real warmth to very factual, and medical information … I urge all of you to read this book

—— Five Little Doves

[Watson] beautifully describes the life-affirming impact of nurses doing and saying the right thing

—— Strong Words

[Watson] tells us things we need to know

—— Chisholm , The Tablet

[The Language of Kindness is] a tender and beautifully written account of how this process – learning how to be kind – challenges, teaches, sometimes harms, and then completes a person

—— Peter Dorward , Telegraph

At the heart of Christie Watson’s philanthropic memoir…lies a remarkable thesis on life, death and the kaleidoscopic narratives…that weave us together

—— Kat Lister , The Pool

This stunning read reminds us that nurses are human after all

—— Jude Rogers , Mail on Sunday

Christie Watson's memoir of 20 years as an NHS nurse is completely absorbing. The best books tell us about life as well as lives and I've read nothing recently that I found so moving and, even in its descriptions of suffering and death, so uplifting. Watson has an eye for detail that is practical, compassionate and very often funny

—— Lucy Lethbridge , The Tablet

Christie captures life as a nurse in the humblest manner, and anyone in or considering nursing is encouraged to read it

—— Julia Williams , Gastrointestinal Nursing

Watson’s prose…fizzes with real life, each story and encounter containing its own epic narrative sweep

—— Lucy Lethbridge , The Oldie

This brilliant and profound book left an indelible mark on me this year

—— Ian Birrell , i

Moving and compassionate…The Language of Kindness… is a sensitive, perceptive and blunt account of a nurse’s journey

—— Richard Barr , Solicitors Journal

An astounding account of life as a nurse

—— Liz Nice , Eastern Daily Press

You know she dug deep for this book… You are also privy to an extraordinary world and appreciate Watson’s lasting belief: that most of us are inherently kind – and the better for showing it

—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury’s Magazine

In Watson’s honest memoir, we are reminded that we are all made from the same fibres and are all in this together, exploring the human condition and learning the language of kindness

—— Molly Case , The Observer

I defy anyone to finish this without weeping and giving thanks for the NHS… An important book that should be on every reading list.

—— Fanny Blake , Woman & Home

The Language of Kindness could not be more compelling or more welcome. It's about how we survive, and about the people who help us do so

—— Roxana Robinson , New York Times Book Review

[A] powerful account of her life as a nurse… reading her memoir is a truly uplifting experience.

—— Jacqueline Wilson , The Week

A nurse’s voice has never really been heard before on this scale. Now’s the time for it to ring loud.

—— Stylist

[Watson] is an elegant, eloquent writer who brings an immediacy to her work. You are right there beside her all the way as she provides a fascinating insight into the trails and triumphs of life in an NHS hospital… a rallying call for kindness and compassion that every one of us should embrace.

—— Mernie Gilmore , Sunday Express

Through Watson, we are taken on an absorbing, all-seeing tour through the doors of the hospital

—— Molly Case , Guardian
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