ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
W
hen I started writing the early drafts of this book, I realized
that this project had been long in the making. It did not start
with my interest in reading about nonverbal behavior, nor in
pursuing it academically, nor in the FBI. Rather, in a real sense, it started
with my family many years earlier.
I learned to read others primarily from the teachings of my parents,
Albert and Mariana Lopez, and my grandmother, Adelina Paniagua Es-
pino. Each in his or her own way taught me something different about
the significance and power of nonverbal communications. From my
mother, I learned that nonverbals are invaluable in dealing with others. A
subtle behavior, she taught me, can avert an awkward situation or can
make someone completely comfortable—a skill she has performed effort-
lessly all of her life. From my father, I learned the power of expression;