Fascinating! 'Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything' - by Anne Bogel

About the book:

If the viral personality quizzes strewn about our social media accounts are any indication, we are collectively obsessed with the idea of defining and knowing ourselves and our unique places in the world. But what we're finding is this: knowing which famous movie character you are is easy, but actually knowing yourself isn't as simple as just checking a few boxes on an online quiz.

Backed by extensive research and illustrated with engaging stories, Reading People explains what makes you uniquely you, what makes the people in your life uniquely them, and why it all matters. Popular blogger Anne Bogel makes it easy. In this fascinating book, she collects, explores, and explains the most popular personality frameworks, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and others. She shares the life-changing insights that can be gained from each, along with practical applications across all facets of life, including love and marriage, productivity, parenting, the workplace, and spiritual life.

Want to revolutionize the way you live, love, work, and pray? Understanding personality is the first step!

My review:

This was a fascinating book that looked at different aspects of personality and how we can use this knowledge to better understand ourselves and others.  I was familiar with some of these, such as the Myers-Briggs and I knew that I was an introvert but I don't think I had ever heard of the StrengthsFinder or Enneagram.   I actually had taken the Myers-Briggs in college for a career class and was able to dig up my results, which is an INFJ.  I learned we make up less than one percent of the population!  I took a free online test she recommended to learn your type to see if I got the same result and I did.  She used examples from literature when explaining the different combinations, which was fascinating and fun. I loved all of the personal stories she shared as she mistakenly thought she was a different combo for a long time and how she was able to improve her relationships with her husband and children, especially her one daughter who's very different from her, once she figured out the different personality types they had.  Anne explained that the brains of introverts and extroverts work differently from each other, such as in processing and nervous system function. 

She also talked about places having personalities, too, and that a lot of places cater to extroverts.  Her description of highly sensitive people struck a chord as I think I fall in that category as well; this was another aspect of personality I had never heard of.  I also liked her last chapter about your personality not being your destiny, that being aware of your strengths and weaknesses can help you if you want to grow.  It's more about the mindset you have, whether it's fixed where you think you are what you are, you can't change anything and that things should come easily if they're meant to be or if it's a growth mindset, where you can improve your natural talents, abilities and skills through effort.  She also points out that our foundational habits, our friends and the thoughts we dwell on all impact the kinds of people we are and who we become.  I love learning about personalities and trying to understand what makes people tick.  This book was a great resource, easy to read and kept my interest throughout.  I highly recommend it!

I received this book free from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review.

           Anne Bogel, Author

Anne Bogel is the creator of the popular blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the podcast What Should I Read Next? Her popular book lists and reading guides have established Bogel as a tastemaker among readers, authors, and publishers. Bogel lives in Louisville, Kentucky. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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