Book Review: Reading People

“I think I might be a highly sensitive person,” I told a close friend as we were prepping to co-work for the day.

She looked at me confused. “Uh, yeah. You didn’t know?”

I didn’t! I honestly didn’t until reading Anne Bogel’s new book Reading People. We’ll get to me in a moment. (Because I know that’s what you’re all dying to read about…) First, the book:

The subtitle, How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, pretty much give you the rundown. As a longtime personality-nerd, I was fascinated to dig in and read what Anne, one of my favorite podcasters and bloggers had to say.

Each chapter captures the purpose and basics of the most popular personality frameworks out there including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram, Strengthsfinder, the 5 love languages, and more. Her goal is to help unpack why we behave the way we do and how to better understand the behavior and preferences of those around us. She often discusses understanding how these frameworks work together—a concept I never thought of. Once these lenses are no longer compartmentalized, you find a better vantage point from which to view the complexity of ourselves and those around us.

After reading her book, I understand why the Passion Conference was a miserable experience for me despite being a great time to learn. I know I’m not crazy for feeling anxious in a room filled with lots of people. I have better terms to describe why my first response to insecurity is to overcompensate. I also have a much better understanding of my friends and family members and feel better equipped to walk into moments of conflict.

Reading People is a great book for anyone trying to gain a deeper understanding of what makes them and those around them tick. Anne gives great tools and personal examples for digging deeper into these frameworks to engage in relationships better, be that marriage, friendships, parent-child dynamics, and even work place atmospheres.

You can pick up your copy here.