A review by karenchase
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda

3.0

I heard Alan Alda on the radio, talking about this book, and it sounded interesting so I picked it up at the library. And, it is interesting, but not interesting enough to read all the way through. I got about halfway and then stopped. I enjoyed the concepts he discusses here--communication, relating, empathy, etc.--and the way he describes learning to use acting techniques, particularly improv, to improve (and teach others how to improve) general communication skills. The text is very straightforward and clear, not a lot of jargon or technical language. It would be ironic if there were, since a big chunk of the book is about making esoteric topics understandable to laymen. I think this is a successful exercise, and I'm sure it will be useful to people who want to explore these ideas. Alda is clearly a smart, thoughtful guy, which I have suspected ever since I watched him on MASH throughout my childhood.