Magic Words: 101 Ways to Talk Your Way Through Life's Challenges

A comprehensive collection of powerful phrases to help you face a variety of life’s challenges.

Travelers to foreign countries often carry handy phrase books to help them navigate uncharted territory. Now there’s a guide for getting through tough times in plain English–an essential selection of well-honed phrases to help you soothe and smooth your way through any prickly situation.

Divided into three sections–Magic Words to say to yourself, to others, and for universal situations–this invaluable guide contains the verbal keys to the kingdom. Protect yourself in the midst of a tongue-lashing (“Are you actually yelling at me?”); politely remind an obnoxious cell-phone abuser to be courteous (“Don’t forget, you’re not in a phone booth”); or chant this mantra when things seem to be slipping over the edge (“If you want to gain control, you have to give up control”).

Life is full of little, and big, stumbling blocks. Whether you’re dealing with an over-inflated ego, meddling in-laws, or even creating the problems yourself, this sharp little handbook has all the Magic Words you need to get through the toughest of times.

Howard Kaminsky was the president and publisher of three major publishing houses: Warner Books, Random House, and William Morrow/Avon. Also the author of several screenplays, four novels (cowritten with his wife, Susan), and numerous magazine articles, he lives in New York City and Connecticut. Alexandra Penney’s four bestsellers include the mega-hit How to Make Love to a Man. In addition to serving as editor in chief of Self magazine, she has written lifestyle columns for The New York Times Magazine and contributed regularly to numerous others. Currently launching a national magazine for women called Real, she lives in New York City.