The book opens with a scenario that many will recognize: a friend is talked into loaning a piece of sports equipment and he knows that the person borrowing will probably never return it. The question posed is how one feels after being a part of such a situation—crummy is certainly a good answer. There are communication skills that can be learned and this book discusses assertive communication. There is a big difference between assertive and aggressive, and of course passive is accepting situations without objecting to them.