My Copy: 9781943006410 (image from quiettherage.com)

Definitely check out the site, it gives some great insight into what this guy does beyond the book…though the book says a ton.

Quiet the Rage is a handy little book to hang onto and remind yourself of some things. Now, when we say rage, we don’t necessarily mean “Hulking-out” or anything like that, but the conflict and anger issues that drive us all at different times, sometimes into rage, but often several steps below that.

It’s a book about you, keeping in mind your own personal values and goals, the things that happen to create conflict and derail your efforts to stop it before it starts. It’s a book about keeping others in mind as well, since conflict usually requires an extra person if it’s going to turn into a potential rage-event.

Mr. Burke is also purging some demons with this book. The amount of crap he went through in his life to create a volatile, aggressive adult turned certified professional coach is amazing to read in itself. I’m surprised he didn’t end up in prison or a murderer with the amount of rage and conflict he had.

But if this book tells you anything, it’s that this guy really has been there and come out the other side, and knows what he’s talking about here. Mr. Burke uses several real-life examples where he talks to clients about the issues of conflict between co-workers and tries to get them to see things from each other’s point of view, and namely, their values.

“Personal Values” is the key here, where most everything hinges from in regards to conflict management. Read the book to understand more.

He doesn’t give complete case studies in one go, but will break them up to suit the point of each chapter. That does help keep the point going and make it understandable. What might be disconcerting is going between his life, his clients’ case studies, and his analysis.

It does get repetitive when he gives the case studies, asking the same questions to start over and over again (and he writes them down each time). On the other hand, with answers that are so different, it helps to understand that he hasn’t changed his approach to the problem, and there are multiple avenues to rage and conflict to contend with. It works.

So, if you have difficulty dealing with other people, or just maybe that certain person in your life or workplace, then Quiet the Rage is definitely for you. This one I wouldn’t mind loaning out to people I know who could use it, and will have plenty of sticky notes still on the pages to remind me of what I need to keep in mind when I’m at that forgetful point.