Review: Difficult People

Difficult People by Rebecca Ray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A compassionate, insightful read on how to deal with the difficult people in your life.

Brilliant.

I found a really great paragraph towards the end of the book that sums it up perfectly:

...this is not about fixing you so the difficult person can get away with whatever they want. Instead, it's about helping you develop resilience in the face of a person who is unlikely to change (or who hasn't shown signs of improvement in your dealings with them).

The book explores different types of difficult people and provides insight into how they may have become so. It then outlines ways to protect yourself and your boundaries while empowering you to take control of your own reactions and feelings towards them. It will give you a peek into the inner workings of the minds of difficult people, but it may also surprisingly show you elements of your own behaviour that might be considered difficult.

It's a comprehensive guide that takes the time to explore different personality types and emphasises compassion when dealing not just with difficult people, but also yourself. There's a perfect balance of respecting others while setting clear boundaries, and it's nurturing but firm.

I am fortunate to not have too many truly difficult people in my life, but even still there were moments when the truth hit close to home and it became quite tough to push through. That's about the only thing that slowed me down, and even then it wasn't for long. I was fascinated learning about the different elements that contribute to difficult behaviours and appreciated the examples that made clear any lingering confusion of meanings. There are plenty of tables, bullet point lists and diagrams that make everything easily digestible, as well as a summary at the end of each chapter. I found some parts a little long, but I also know I'll appreciate the thoroughness when I need to return to those particular explanations.

A truly thoughtful, empathetic guide to protecting yourself from difficult people whilst also understanding why they might behave as they do. I really appreciated the kindness and honesty behind these words and I know this is a book I'll return to often.

With thanks to Macmillan for a copy

View all my reviews