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

Written by Anne Bogel

If the viral Buzzfeed-style personality quizzes are any indication, we are collectively obsessed with the idea of defining and knowing ourselves and our unique place in the world. But what we're finding is this: knowing which Harry Potter character you are is easy, but actually knowing yourself isn't as simple as just checking a few boxes on an online quiz. For readers who long to dig deeper into what makes them uniquely them (and why that matters), popular blogger Anne Bogel has done the hard part--collecting, exploring, and explaining the most popular personality frameworks, such as Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and others. She explains to readers the life-changing insights that can be gained from each and shares specific, practical real-life applications across all facets of life, including love and marriage, productivity, parenting, the workplace, and spiritual life. In her friendly, relatable style, Bogel shares engaging personal stories that show firsthand how understanding personality can revolutionize the way we live, love, work, and pray.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Sep 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781683668947

Anne Bogel

Anne Bogel is the author of Reading People and I'd Rather Be Reading and creator of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy and the podcasts What Should I Read Next? and One Great Book. Bogel's popular book lists and reading guides have established her as a tastemaker among readers, authors, and publishers. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Reviews for Reading People

[kategrinnell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am fascinated by personality typing and absolutely loved this book.

[A Nadim Al-Sadat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book, as introduction to understanding personality.
The author give her personal experience.

[Tobias · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent overview of many of the most popular personality assessments.

[the13tale · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am fascinated by personality typing and absolutely loved this book.

[judygibson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not really interested in analyzing personalities but mostly wanted to know what Anne means when she talks about it on WSIRN.

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Actually a really good overview of many different personality tests. I’m going to go back to the book itself as the audiobook lost me in later chapters (it was impossible for me to understand all the MBTI stuff). Also I’m glad there wasn’t any Jesus stuff in it considering it’s produced by a Christian publisher.

[vpfluke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a popular introduction to the various types of personality classifications, but which is quite well written and engaging. Bogel starts off by looking at the MBTI and particularly;ar;y introverts vs. extroverts. I was interested where she figured out one of her daughters needed a more introverted church in which to worship (in fact, an Episcopal Church). /the stacking of the MBTI is well described and worth the book. But the does have the Enneagram which I am attracted to. I found it interesting to look at Kiersey temperaments and the Clifton StrengthsFinder.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the way this author breaks down personality typing. She presents a few different styles, like Myers Briggs and explains how they work and how they can help you. She encourages people to use personality typing to learn their strengths and weaknesses and name changes.

[sboren-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I started this as an Audiobook I borrowed from the library but quickly wanted my own copy so I purchased my copy from Amazon to read. Reading People by Anne Bogel. ????? This was a fun read for me. I thought I'd grab the Audiobook and listen to a few minutes here and there but I quickly realized I wanted to know more. So I purchased the book on Amazon. It is neat to me to understand what makes others tick and what doesn't. This book dives into personalities without too many complications or making it too clinical in categorizing every detail and I like that. Anne does a great job of explaining it without it sounding like stereo instructions. My favorite part is when she puts her own family in as examples. It becomes real. It probably helps that she was reading the book to me as I read along too. The Audiobook is narrated by Anne herself so it feels very personable, and not like sitting in a lecture hall. I enjoyed that. So next time you want to take that Facebook quiz that puts you in a box and others in a different box it means you are just as curious as I was. Grab this book, it will help you get the information you are searching for. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Go Read, Amazon, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Twitter @jason_stacie, and my blog at readsbystacie.com.

[janjanfreeman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thank you Pinterest! I ​was introduced to Anne Bogel's work by Pinterest years ago by a pin about books that stemmed from her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy. I highly recommend her blog as it is a great resource for book recommendations as well as other fun lifestyle information. I also recommend her podcast What Should I Read Next? for all of anyone's bookish needs :).

An in-depth yet easy to understand look into different personalities. It is also a look into the interactions of these distinct personalities and how conflict can be reduced by understanding how each person's personality affects how they communicate. I really enjoyed how she broke down each personality type, gave strengths and weaknesses of each, and referenced other resources so that the reader can investigate further.

The section that made the biggest impact on me was the section about Highly Sensitive People. I have quite a few people in my life who would fit into this personality type and it completely opened my mind on understanding them. Also, it helped me learn how to be helpful when they are stressed. For example: keeping the kitchen counters clean. I wouldn’t have thought about the importance of it before reading this book.

I would recommend this book for fans of non-fiction and self-help. I would also recommend this book for those who are fascinated by different personality types and would like to know more.

Bonus: The audiobook is read by none other than the author Anne Bogel herself!

Please note: I received a hard copy of the book for free from the author in the encouragement of an honest review.

[staciele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever thought about how your personality affects the way you interact with your spouse, children, family, co-workers, or friends? Have you considered that maybe the difficulty you are having with someone may be because your personalities are struggling with each other? By understanding how your brain works and why someone is reacting in a specific way to something you have said or done, could change your view of that whole situation.

Anne Bogel of the popular Modern Mrs. Darcy blog has been fascinated with personality traits for several years. If you were one of those teens that took every quiz in a magazine asking why kind of friend you are or who should you date next, then I bet you are also taking the wide variety of quizzes on social media. Quizzes range from which Harry Potter character you are to which state should you really be living in, to what book genre you should be reading based on your personality. Everyone seems to be taking them and sharing the answers with their friends.

But, Bogel takes this one step further by encouraging us to really find out what makes us the person we are. But, as Bogel points out, taking every personality test out there doesn't matter if you aren't honest with yourself about your own personality and that of those you spend time with. Yes, her book is based on research but she shares it with readers in a conversational manner. She doesn't overwhelm the reader with statistics but instead explains how that research on personality trickles down to the everyday person. The key is no personality is better or worse than the other, it just means we might be better suited towards another for marriage, or towards a certain type of career.

Reading and re-reading this book over the last couple months has encouraged me to look into my own personality traits. By taking various online assessments, I am fairly confident that I am an ESFJ of the Myers-Brigg personality types. Then doing research related to that type of personality has offered numerous "Aha" moments in my own life and relationships with others. It's been life-changing as I no longer feel like I have to make excuses for my own feelings. It has also opened my eyes in regards to our children. Taking various online assessments can help point them in the right direction for a major in college or a career option. Seeing that our daughter is quite possibly an introvert, opposite to my extroverted behavior, has allowed me to loosen up a bit regarding her social interactions.

As someone who works in the school system, the chapter that focused on Highly Sensitive People (HSP), especially children, offered me a whole new viewpoint on how to best educate and communicate with students that fit that category. Feeling things strongly, noise, and overstimulation are all things that may cause of HSP to shut down. So, when a student asks if they can work without a partner or to work in the hall, may be a sign that their surroundings are causing their brain to shut down. This may not be the case in every situation, but knowing your students, your children, your co-workers and the environment that will make them successful can make your relationship with them so much more cooperative.

Ultimately, READING PEOPLE offers the reader a chance to understand the people that are important in your life. Recognizing and accepting the way they interact with the world may be different from you and that is A-Ok.