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Dont Be Nice, Be Real Balancing Passion for Self with Compassion for Others by Kelly Bryson Authors Publishing Cooperative, 2002 Pb., 296 pp. $15
Kelly Bryson, a 30-year family systems therapist and 18-year trainer of Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication process, should'a been a stand-up comedian. He's funny and his book is funny, from the stories he tells on himself to his nicknames for various aspects of human nature ("nicenecks," Assertiveness Deficit Disorder Syndrome). In Don't Be Nice, Be Real he offers an entertaining and entree to a fairly serious subject-how to get along well with others while remaining authentic and true to oneself.
The book is a little like Nonviolent Communication meets Radical Honesty, with a little Riane Eisler (partnership vs. dominator societies) and ZEGG Communhy (sexual freedom, going beyond jealousy) thrown...