Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything

Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In graduate school, one of my professors said, "You share what you love." For me, two of my most commonly shared loves are baked goods and books. In the two days that I was reading Bogel's debut book "Reading People", I texted six different friends about various pieces of the book, and I talked incessantly about it to my husband. If that wasn't enough, I tabbed the heck out of my book for things I wanted to go back to. I emailed myself (a more common practice than I care to admit) at work with notes about extroversion and introversion that seemed imperative to share in regards to class discussions. I ordered a follow-up book, and then I made my husband take Kiersey's personality assessment after I'd already taken it twice. All this to say, that I was more profoundly entranced by Bogel's "Reading People" than I could have anticipated.

The book, itself, is not an ideal book for reading cover to cover (how I read it) but is meant, instead, to be used as a tool and lens with which to view our personalities and the personalities of those around us. Better understanding aspects of our personalities simplifies the guessing game of "why did I just respond that way?" and allows us to prepare practical courses of action when strange situations arise. This book does not have all the answers. Most books of this nature do not. Instead, it invites you like Carol Dweck's "Mindset" or Gretchen Rubin's "Happiness Project" to become the best version of yourself through more focused self-observation and self-actualization. That process is made all the more enjoyable with Bogel's insights and anecdotal candor. Bogel, who is best known for her "Modern Mrs. Darcy" blog and "What Should I Read Next" podcast, is on her way to being known for giving readers a better way to find their place in the world than their results from "Which Harry Potter House do I belong in?".

Happy reading friends, and when you're reading to talk all things personality, I'll have fresh cookies ready.

ps. On a personal note, this is the first time I've ever been invited to be a part of a book launch team and given an ARC or advanced reader copy of a text. Small reader dream come true.