“Talk to the hand ’cause the face ain’t listening,” the saying goes. When did the world get to be so rude? When did inconsiderate behaviour become the norm?
It’s a topic that has been simmering for years, and Lynne Truss says that it has now reached boiling point. Taking on the boorish behaviour that has become a point of pride for some, Talk to the Hand is a rallying cry for courtesy. Like Lynne’s runaway best-seller, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Talk to the Hand is a spirited conversation, not a stuffy guidebook to perfect manners.

Why hasn’t your nephew ever thanked you for that perfect Christmas present? What makes your builder think he can treat you like dirt in your own home? What accounts for the appalling treatment you receive in shops? Most important, what will it take to roll back a culture that applauds rudeness and finds it so amusing?

For anyone who’s fed up with the brutality inflicted by modern manners (and is naturally too scared to confront the actual yobs), Talk to the Hand is a colourful call to arms – from the wittiest defender of the civilised world.

‘Talk to the Hand is trademark Truss, instantly recognisable from her journalism and broadcasting: (very) readable, (very) funny, (very) engaging.’ – Observer