The Delicate Art of Dancing with Porcupines: Learning to Appreciate the Finer Points of Others

The Delicate Art of Dancing with Porcupines by Bob Phillips (Regal Books, 1989) may have one of the most unusual titles I've ever seen, but fortunately the quirky name didn't stop from picking it up several years ago. At this point, I've read it multiple times and have taken to presenting it quite often as a gift to friends and associates.   I like it so well myself because the text applies in practical and profound ways to my work as a watershape designer.  I share it with others because it has had something to say about every aspect of my life and can do the same for them, too. A widely published marriage and family counselor, Phillips is best known for this small book (just 160 pages) in which he examines in wonderfully clear and concise detail what he calls "social style."  The idea is that people generally fall into categories having to do with