A stylish, funny and surprising guide to the art of conversation, from one of New York’s foremost literary wits.
A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities– conversation.

Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and “how to” advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of “the most excusively human of all activities.”

In a time when conversation remains deeply important– for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are– and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.