Where did they get these questions? After reading other reviews, I thought that this book would be a good book to get. But I was very disappointed. I would not use almost any of the questions. Much of the questions are too personal to ask someone, and they don't provide useful information.
I suppose some people somewhere could use it ... I'd like to give the book a no-star rating, as I can't really say whether it is good or no good. I just have trouble imagining anyone actually using the thing. It actually IS a bare list of 4000 questions, divided into their most obvious topical classifications, for people who can't think of anything else to say. "Think" is the operative word here, as they say; questions tend to pre-suppose more thinking than mere declarative statements. So I suppose the idea is to impress people with your intellect, though I can't ever remember seeing or hearing much evidence that intellect is what matters in how Americans form an estimate of each other. And, in the heat of trying to get close to someone (in whatever sense), do you really think you'll REMEMBER these lines? Sort of like that picture you have of the tourist leafing through their phrasebook, looking for the right phrase, with the ultimate joke of the joke knowing that the thing was left behind the bidet. Or the cartoon about the ineptico who tried courting the girl he'd picked out the herd by referring to a list of things to talk about over dinner if things wound down a bit early. Are these people serious? Is American culture really so autistic and de-brained that these people need guidance on what to talk about, not just with a member of the opposite sex that's rendered you speechless but ANYBODY? Well, I just don't think you're going to get laid with this book. Or get a job. Or distract the host while your significant other (assuming you could snag one) makes off with the blender.So So, 4000 devided by 2 I am not very outgoing, so I thought this book would help me start some conversations with people I don't know. Yes, there are some questions I never would have thought to ask, an some questions I had fun answering my self. However, there are so many duplicates! Just the same question rewritten 5 different ways! Not to mention, most of the questions were a little too personal to be asking someone you don't know. It is a great book to sit down with your mate on a rainy or snowy winter night,and each read a few questions. If for nothing else, you may learn a few new things about yourself!
