A look behind the curtain of shilling and pitch to see how we are manipulated

Why do some people have the power to persuade us–and why do we let them? Robert Levine offers readers a witty and incisive new take on the mindsets of those who prod, praise, and manipulate others to do things they never thought they’d do–and are sometimes later sorry they did. By attending training sessions for magicians and taking jobs as both a door-to-door and used car salesman, Levine explores the remarkable effect and power of subtlety on effective persuasion, the great illusion of personal vulnerability, and the unlikely similarities linking a wide range of persuasive strategies.

Robert Levine (Fresno, CA) is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fresno. His book A Geography of Time (0-465-02642-7) was the subject of feature stories around the world.