Anne Bogel’s Modern Mrs. Darcy has long been one of my favorite blogs. One of only a handful I read on a regular basis these days. Her What Should I Read Next podcast literally brought me back my love for reading after I thought I would never find decent books to read again. So when she briefly mentioned that she had written a book I immediately went to Amazon to see if I could preorder it which I did. Then when she asked for submissions to be on the launch team I jumped at the chance. Yes, I did receive an advance copy of Reading People as a part of the launch team, but this review is my own honest opinion.
I first became interested in personality frameworks in college when a friend introduced me to the book Please Understand Me that talks about the Myers Brigg Type Indicator personality framework. (I’m an introvert, highly sensitive person, INFJ, & Enneagram Type 1.)
Over the past few years though I’ve loved learning more about the various types of personality frameworks out there and that’s why I think Reading People is such a great book for everyone whether you are just beginning to study about personality types or if you’ve been dabbling in various ones for years like me.
Anne does an excellent job summarizing several different personality frameworks in a way that is easy to understand. It can be overwhelming to pick up books on the most popular personality frameworks, but she pares them down to their basics without losing any of the important things you should know about them. She also shares interesting historical facts about some of the frameworks like how the Enneagram has been around since the fourth century. She also shares resources where you can learn more about each one if you want to dig deeper.
Here are the frameworks she discusses along with a great chapter on introverts vs. extroverts:
The Five Love Languages
StrengthsFinder 2.0
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Kiersey’s Temperments
The Enneagram
Anne understands that when we can view not only ourselves, but our family members, friends, co-workers, and really anyone we encounter that it can make a world of difference in not only how we interact with them, but in also in how we understand tham and so many other ways as well.
“I’ve come to think understanding personality is like holding a good map. That map can’t take you anywhere. It doesn’t change your location; you’re still right where you were before. But the map’s purpose isn’t to move you; it’s to show you the lay of the land. It’s the tool that makes it possible for you to get where you want to go.”—Anne Bogel
There’s still time to preorder and get the great preorder gift of a free audio version of the book plus more. Preorder from your favorite retailer then go to readingpeoplebook.com and fill out the form. Reading People releases September 19th so preorder now!
