Is there anyone out there who is truly a hugger or is it just something you have acquired a taste for over the course of your life? For me, it’s something I’ve had to cultivate. I am not a big hugger and there is nothing more awkward than when someone asks if they can hug me because they know I am not a hugger.
I mean, yes it’s fine if you hug me but now you made it awkward by asking and pointing out that it’s obvious that I don’t like it.
Basically, hugging is such an awkward situation and that’s why I had to laugh when this book popped up on my desk for review! Finally someone has taken the time to examine what’s considered socially acceptable to do when it comes to a hug!
This is going to be one of those books you could pop in a co-workers holiday gift bag or bring to an office white elephant party! It’s a short little book full of humor and social etiquette!
Summary
From New Yorker humorist Emily Flake, a hilarious, oddly enlightening book of illustrations and observations that embrace the inescapable awkwardness of two human beings attempting to make physical contact with one another
We’ve all been there.
You encounter your former colleague–the one whom you always suspected had eaten your yogurt that one time. Your ex-boyfriend’s sister. The elementary school classmate whose name you don’t quite remember. That aunt you’re not sure your mom is cool with.
Do you shake hands? Do you hug? Do you–horrors–kiss on the cheek? Or–double horrors–kiss on both cheeks? And then it happens. The awkward hug. That cultural blight we’ve all experienced.
Emily Flake–keen observer of human behavior and life’s less-than-triumphant moments–codifies the most common awkward hugs that have plagued us all (sadly, multiple times). Filled with laugh-out-loud anecdotes and illustrations, astute observations, and wise advice, That Was Awkward is a heartwarming reminder that we’re all in this together, grasping hastily at each other in an attempt to say: let’s embrace to remind ourselves of our essential and connecting humanity, but also, please don’t touch me for more than three seconds.(summary from Goodreads)
The Lit Bitch 
It gets even more awkward when you factor in the
Oops. Starting again…..It gets even more awkward when you have to factor in the international/cultural dimension. Europeans generally are huggers but many Asian cultures would be aghast at the idea.