Have you been hurt by Facebook postings? Frustrated by cryptic text messages? How did a great networking tool become the passive aggressive person's venue of choice to show you how they REALLY feel? Maybe The Unfriender destroyed your day, silently severing ties. Perhaps you've been struck down by The Inspirational Quoting Hatchet Murderer, whose thinly veiled jabs will hack you up like a dull blade. The Hider and his counterpart, The Untagger, can wordlessly slam the door in your face. And the passive aggressive texter has perfected the art of the "accidental" blow-off with their delayed response time-management system. Rather than knocking Facebook, this book pokes fun at the way we use it to make our points with people without ever talking. The author's admitted addiction to passive-aggressive men is described and documented in humorous text conversations. But instead of blaming the men, Diane Bucci takes us on the journey that led her to ask, "Am I not worth more than this...to me?" This book takes a look behind the reasons for our bad behavior on Facebook and challenges the reader to analyze their own fear and self-worth issues. Why are we drawn to relationships which hurt us? Why do we love secrets and drama? Why is a Facebook posting the first thing people do when they have a life-altering situation? "Is that really the first thing on your mind when you feel you can't live another moment on earth? Let me change my status to single before I slit my wrists." Healthy and hurtful reasons for "hiding" relationships are discussed. Bucci says, "I agree that a publicly displayed 'single' status shouldn't lead people to assume that you're unattached and available to date. It shouldn't. But it does. So let's be real." Bucci also points out the ways we all are guilty of employing passive aggressive tactics to get what we want, especially with our favorite lie, "I just got your text!" Bucci's "favorite passive aggressive ex-boyfriend" gives a hilarious diatribe explaining why the cell phone was the "greatest invention on earth" for men who are trying to avoid having a real conversation with a woman. Tips are offered for breaking the addiction to worrying about how others view you, and expanding your interests to make you more interesting. The reader is challenged to embrace their own authentic beauty and stop trying to create an illusionary image of themselves. Bucci says, "The current day psychology seems to be: A man's character is defined in his profile and validated by the number of views and likes he receives. Our modern social networking tools challenge us to succinctly describe ourselves in one paragraph or less. Whether it's professional networking sites, dating web sites, or personal web pages, we struggle to put ourselves and our character into sound bites. We're continually creating profiles for ourselves for one reason or another. We're initially uncomfortable when presented with the task of creating a self-advertisement, but we quickly become skilled at marketing ourselves. We're like a bunch of used car salesmen; pointing out our surface appeal while neglecting to take a closer look under our own hoods." The book will challenge you to look under your own hood, but don't despair if you don't like what you see. "We are ALL offenders," says Bucci. "You're lying if you say you've never done some of these things." Bucci believes people are getting tired of automated voices and defining themselves in boxes with 200 character limits. "After banging our heads against frozen computer screens, groaning over slow connections, and screaming in frustration when our phone only shows one bar; we have a new appreciation for the friend who literally "drops everything and runs" to our assistance. We've finally realized the speed of technology is no substitute for the urgency a human exhibits when we're in distress."
About the Author: Diane Bucci is an author, motivational speaker, and private spiritual coach. Her previous book, "The Return of Mikey," detailed her late autistic son's life and death, and she regulary speaks to grief and suicide support groups. Diane won the 2012 Irwin Award for Most Inspirational Campaign of the Year. Diane spent most of her career as a general manager for several large retailers before embarking on a writing career. She currently resides in Colorado with her long-time companion, Sneakers the cat.