Reading People by Anne Bogel

Raise your hand if you’ve taken a BuzzFeed quiz today?  More than one?  Yeah, you’re not alone.  I hate to admit I might have just taken a quiz titled “Choose Some Baked Goods and We’ll Predict Your Future” because if you know me, you know I love bread more than Oprah.  (Don’t worry, I received good results.  I’m going to travel the world.)  I’m a sucker for those silly little quizzes, and for good reason too.  It’s more than wanting to know if my choice in baked goods will lead me to have a good life; it’s wanting to know more about myself and my life.  

Anne Bogel’s Reading People goes beyond the silly check-box quizzes to help you deal with the complexity of real life.  She explores several of the leading personality frameworks, including Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, Keirsey’s Temperaments, and the 5 Love Languages, to show you how they are set up and interconnected.  If you’re looking for a good way to get an overview on these frameworks, this is book for you.  Read more to hear my thoughts on this highly engaging read.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of Reading People as part of the Reading People Launch Team, which allows me to give you an unbiased review.  Thank you Anne Bogel, NetGalley, and Baker Books. All opinions are my own.)

I’m not going to lie, I consider Anne Bogel my reading spirit animal.  She jokingly says she’s just an everyday reader who shares her thoughts on her blog and podcast.  But Anne is anything but ordinary. She just gets books.  She is so eloquent in her recommendations that I fall for books that I wouldn’t normally pick up.  I’ve followed her podcast, What Should I Read Next, since the first few episodes and always come away with at least one new read to add to my TBR.  I don’t even want to admit how often I visit her blog over at Modern Mrs. Darcy.  So when I heard that she was writing a book, I knew this was one I had to pick up.  
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Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything takes a look at several of the leading personality frameworks and gives you a basic idea of each of how they are structured.  Frameworks like Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Keirsey's Five Temperaments, the Five Love Languages, StrengthsFinder, and the Enneagram are shared through the viewpoint of an everyday human being.  You don’t have to worry about fancy language, aside from the specific terminology required for the framework.  Anne explains what each framework is all about, shares an anecdote or two about her personal experience with the framework, and then shows you how to use it in your life.  She doesn’t go completely in detail with each framework, but she gives you enough to get your feet wet so you can decide if you want to dive into the nitty gritty later on.

Not only does Reading People give you a basic understanding of these frameworks, but Anne gives you resources for more information, including a list of books that she found helpful in her exploration on the topics.  She also takes the time to explain how these frameworks are interconnected and can be used to complement each other.  Before diving into Reading People, I had pieces of the puzzle.  I’m an introvert.  I am a Highly Sensitive Person that finds noise, decisions, media, and people to be overstimulating.  (I feel all the feels all the time, people.)  I value quality time over words of affirmation.  I’m an INFP.  I’m an Enneagram Type 2.  I’m an NF Idealist.  All of those are great to know, but Anne helps me to put the puzzle pieces together to see the bigger picture.  Now I’m beginning to explore how all of these types work together to make me, me.  (If you know what any of that means, leave me a comment because I’m dying to chat about all of them!)  

I’m a note-taking reader, and I don’t want to admit how many pages of notes I took on Reading People.  I know when I go back for a re-read (which will be very soon, I’m sure) that I’ll have these notes to build on as I explore these personality frameworks more in depth.  The frameworks help me understand how I am wired, both positively and negatively.  They allow me to understand that not everyone has the same personality that I do.  Anne explains in the early chapters that personality is simply a pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make us unique.  Seeing all of the possible personality types illuminated by these frameworks have allowed me to take a step back with my friends and family that I interact with every day.  Personality frameworks help us to see beyond the first person to help us understand those we do life with.   I understand myself better and then I can work on understanding those around me.  ​

​As you become more aware of the amazing variety of people and experiences, your worldview changes, making you more humble, more open, more aware of the possibilities in each person you encounter.

Anne shows us the possibilities we gain when we take the time to truly understand ourselves and others through these frameworks.  They can be applied to the workplace, your church life, your friendships, your relationships, even your kiddos or students.  Anne is quick to warn that these frameworks shouldn’t be the absolute definition of who we are.  ​

​My personality isn’t a limiting label; instead, understanding my personality has blown my possibilities wide open.

These frameworks are conversation starters.  They are a way to explore how and why you interact with the work they way you do.  They are the lenses through which we see the world.  They can be the catalyst to a deeper exploration of who you are.  They go beyond silly quizzes about bread to help you learn more about yourself and others.  Reading People is the perfect place to start if you’re wondering what personality frameworks are all about and if they are worth your time and effort.
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Reading People will be available on September 19th.  I know, I don’t know if I could wait that long either.  I have good new though!  If you pre-order your book, you’ll receive some great bonuses including Anne’s class on the reading personalities for FREE!  (I’ve taken it, and it gives some awesome book recommendations based on my reading personality.  You can find out your Reading Personality here). In addition, you can get a FREE download of the audiobook!  After you order, you’ll simply head on over to readingpeoplebook.com to get let them know you preordered, and you’ll have all you need to get your fantastic bonus perks.

TL/DR: Reading People explores several popular personality frameworks, showing you how they work together, in order to learn more about yourself and others.
Rating: 5/5 stars