Non-Fiction Coping with Difficult People, 101 Strategies Any Time & Any Place (2009)

Wilkinson Publishing, 60 pages paperback

This book was Michael Wilkinson’s idea because he remembered that when we traveled to the States together, my choice of reading matter was sociology books. Specifically, The Presentation of the Self in Every Day Life by Erving Goffman, recommended to me by Robert Wolfgramm. This type of subject matter has been handled before, famously by Dr Robert Bramson. But my point of difference is to work back from the situations in which certain people become difficult, rather than running with the usual line that people are inherently problematic. I didn’t intend to write a definitive account, rather something that might alert the reader to watch out for problematic situations and to make a few helpful suggestions. I aimed for a ‘fun’ read, rather than a serious analysis.

People who will enjoy it: Everyone seems to identify with aspects of this book, firstly to find out which difficult type they are, and secondly to sort out problem people in their lives.

• The distributor Woodlane distributes widely to newsagencies, bookshop, even airport bookshops.