Author:Melissa Dahl
Have you ever said goodbye to someone, only to discover that you're both walking in the same direction? Or had your next thought fly out of your brain in the middle of a presentation? Or accidentally liked an old photo on someone's Instagram or Facebook, thus revealing yourself to be a creepy social media stalker?
Melissa Dahl, New York magazine's "Science of Us" editor, has experienced all of those awkward situations, and many more. Now she offers a thoughtful, original take on what it really means to feel awkward. She invites you to follow her into all sorts of mortifying moments, drawing on personal experience and in-depth psychological research to answer questions you've probably pondered at some point, such as:
* Why are situations without clear rules most likely to turn awkward?
* Are people really judging us as harshly as we think they are?
* Does anyone ever truly outgrow their awkward teenage self?
If you can learn to tolerate life's most awkward situations -- networking, difficult conversations, hearing the sound of your own terrible voice -- your awkwardness can be a secret weapon to making better, more memorable impressions. When everyone else is pretending to have it under control, you can be a little braver and grow a little bigger.
A stunningly captivating, clever, and comical look at why social discomfort haunts us long beyond our teenage years. This book didn't just help me make sense of my most awkward moments. It liberated me from feeling embarrassed by them. Well, most of them.
—— Adam Grant, author of GIVE AND TAKE and ORIGINALSMelissa Dahl provides a fascinating (and often hilarious) examination of the underdiscussed feeling of awkwardness. Her practical, penetrating insights reveal that understanding what's 'cringeworthy' can help us understand ourselves better--and create happier lives.
—— Gretchen Rubin, author of THE HAPPINESS PROJECTIn this deeply researched and frequently hilarious book, Melissa Dahl shows that our capacity for cringing with embarrassment—at our own ineptness or other people's—is no mere psychological oddity. Her surprisingly uplifting message: through understanding awkwardness, we can learn to find more joy in the fundamental absurdity of being human.
—— Oliver Burkeman, author of THE ANTIDOTEFor anyone who's ever felt awkward in a social situation (so, all of us), Melissa Dahl's Cringeworthy is required reading. Dahl offers a thoughtful, original take on what it really means to feel awkward and how to handle them. A way to socialise better, without embarrassment? Sign us up.
—— Sunday TimesThis lively study explains how embracing embarrassing conversations or exposing situations can improve your life. Dahl is exceptionally good at describing emotions and the visceral physical sensations that often accompany them ... pertinent and penetrating.
—— Katy Guest , The GuardianDahl focuses largely on the nature of embarrassment, in exquisite but accessible detail, providing a brilliantly insightful look at what the perceptions of others do to us on a fundamental level. Having it on your shelves would be nothing to be embarrassed about.
—— Dean Burnett , The GuardianCringeworthy unearths all the reasons we wince, flinch, and recoil, and offers emboldening advice for how to take them on. Awkwardness has never been so delightful.
—— Bianca Bosker, author of CORK DORKCringeworthy breaks down the psychological research of why we feel awkward in certain situations, and whether we can get over that burning, uncomfortable sensation of having done something extraordinarily embarrassing or just simply goofing up. There’s a certain joy in realizing that we’re all a little klutzy, a little tongue-tied, a little embarrassing sometimes—and that’s perfectly OK.
—— The Daily BeastFrom inappropriate air kisses to one-sided conversations, our awkward moments remind us how much we have in common.
—— Oliver Burkeman , The GuardianA must-read for everyone who's struggled with awkwardness, in high school and beyond.
—— Inc.Who says being awkward is a bad thing? Melissa Dahl's Cringeworthy puts a new spin on embarrassing situations and looks at them as opportunities to grow. By the end of it, you'll be embracing the next weird thing you do in public instead of cowering in shame.
—— Refinery 29The psychological case for being less self-conscious.
—— NBC NewsIf you’re blushing, you’re still human: why you should lean in to your embarrassment. A lively, funny and often deeply personal investigation into the things that make us shudder.
—— SalonCringeworthy is a scientific exploration of a specific human quirk in the vein of Mary Roach or Malcolm Gladwell, offering sharp insights into what we mean when we call ourselves “awkward”. Dahl writes with compassion and understanding.
—— BuzzfeedHow to embrace your awkwardness and feel better.
—— Today.comThe guide to awkwardness every Millennial wishes they had in college. An essential, accessible guide to figuring out WTF is the deal with the most painfully human and painfully embarrassing emotion: awkwardness.
—— BustleAwkward conversations can be valuable in the long run. Here's some psychology-based advice for dealing with uncomfortable subjects.
—— Tonic (Vice)The upside of awkwardness… Dahl explains why we cringe, and why it can be a good thing.
—— The VergeDahl explains what awkwardness feels like, what makes a situation awkward, and how to use awkwardness like a superpower for moving through the world.
—— AutostraddleIn a delightful romp through all manner of researches, Dahl explores the ‘odd little emotion’ to which each of us is prey.
—— SagaIn writing about her experiences, Wang puts a face to the silent suffering of millions of people. Her searing honesty coupled with the strength of her writing make The Collected Schizophrenias a remarkable look into a little-understood part of the human condition
—— Chicago Review of BooksAn illuminating, breathtaking look into the underexplored world of schizophrenia, with the rare perspective of someone who's actually been there
—— mindbodygreenWang . . . eloquently balances personal narrative and empirical research to offer a powerful series of insights into a woefully misunderstood world.
—— SF WeeklyThis beautifully written work will expand your thinking about severe mental illness and mental illness in general
—— Rewire.NewsThe Collected Schizophrenias is illumination and important--not only because it educates and challenges--but because it forces us to consider how much we still have to work to undo historical and systematic damage, to challenge our own broken, misguided partiality towards what it means to be healthy and sane
—— The Arkansas International[The Collected Schizophrenias] organizes the confusion, terror and complexity of [Wang's] experience into an imperfectly cohesive, profoundly illuminating whole.
—— Shelf AwarenessPenetrating and revelatory.
—— Publisher's WeeklyThis mesmerizing collection of essays has achieved the rarest of rarities--a meaningful and expansive language for a subject that has been long bound by both deep revulsion and intense fascination
—— Jenny ZhangA brilliant guide to the complexities of thinking about illness, and mental illness, in particular. It will bring hope to others searching to understand their own diagnoses
—— Meghan O'RourkeA masterful braiding of the achingly personal and the incisively researched. . . . This book is a vital, illuminating window onto the world we all already live in, but find all too easy to ignore
—— Alexandra KleemanYou won't find any pity-baiting, sensationalism, or false positivity here; Wang is so candidly aware that I'd trust her over my own diary
—— Tony TulathimutteEsmé Weijun Wang offers us an all-access pass to her beautiful, unquiet mind. . . Rarely has a book about living with mental illness felt so immediate, raw, and powerful
—— Dani ShapiroThe Collected Schizophrenias is at once generous and brilliantly nuanced, rigorous and bold. It had me rethinking what it is to be well or ill.
—— R.O. KwonEsmé Weijun Wang sends out revelatory dispatches from an under-mapped land, shot like arrows in all directions from a taut bow of a mind. . . . Her work changes the way we think about illness - which is to say that it changes us
—— Whiting Award Selection CommitteeA remarkable book - intelligent, impassioned, consistently moving - that can’t help but make readers revisit the sharpest spikes of life, where nurses often are. Christie Watson looks directly at the fragility of human existence, and the importance of what we choose to value. I can't think of many better uses of writing, nor of writing more likely to make me a better person
—— Richard BeardI defy anyone to finish this without weeping and giving thanks to the NHS ... An important book that should be on every reading list
—— Fanny Blake , Woman & HomeChristie Watson’s book brings home the incredible strength and determination that nurses working in our critically underfunded NHS must possess – and how wildly underappreciated they are
—— Rachael Jolley, Editor, Index on CensorshipGripping and tender
—— Radio TimesA remarkable reflection on care, empathy and compassion ... packs massive emotional impact ... I urge you to read it
—— Caroline Sanderson , The BooksellerThis tender, truth-telling memoir will break your heart into little pieces ... This book is a salient reminder that at some point we are all going to need care and we can only hope we'll get someone like Christie who understands the need for "sympathy, compassion, empathy" in our most vulnerable moments
—— Eithne Farry , The Simple ThingsThe award-winning novelist writes about her 20 years as a nurse, taking us from life to death of the wards in a moving account
—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday ExpressAs Watson observes, the ability to step into another’s shoes is essential for both nurse and novelist. So too is an eagle eye, and it is the details that prove so unforgettable ... I found myself compelled to go back, and freshly moved and humbled
—— Stephanie Cross , The LadyA highly emotional and eloquent retelling of different patients, staffers, experiences and departments ... A much-needed human voice
—— Tanya Sweeney , The Irish Times[Watson] writes with such considered awareness of medical procedure and resources, human frailty and resilience, that you know she dug deep for this book ... You are also privy to an extraordinary world and appreciate Watson's lasting belief: that most of us are inherently kind - and the better for showing it
—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury's MagazineThe Language of Kindness is teeming with humanity ... [It] puts other memoirs to shame, by narrating an ordinary working life which nevertheless confronts the dark, the sublime, the transcendental
—— Roisin Kiberd , Sunday Business PostHer book makes harrowing, heart-rendering reading.
—— Helen Brown , Daily MailAn engaging and authentic portrait of modern care ... Through Watson’s inclusion of relevant statistics and historical facts, as well as her meticulous observation skills, readers will better understand the value of nurses
—— Library JournalHypnotic prose ... quiet brilliance ... This is a wake-up book in the best possible way, a study in-the-round: amusing, hilarious even, enthralling and sad, and definitely an indictment of our time
—— The Arts DeskWe hear far less often from nurses and therapists… It’s time we heard their side of the story. And who better to tell it than this nurse-turned-award-winning literary novelist.
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday ExpressAnecdotal story-telling wrapped up in hypnotic prose… This is a wake-up book in the best possible way, a study in-the-round: amusing, hilarious even, enthralling and sad, and definitely an indictment of our time.
—— Marina Vaizey , The Arts DeskA remarkable book. I learned more in chapter 3 than I have in all the other books I’ve read this year. Watson illustrates why a nurse has a harder job than 99 per cent of lawyers (I am one) and deserves to be paid more. Absolutely brilliant!
—— Clive Stafford Smith OBE, human rights lawyerThe Language of Kindness flows so beautifully, and naturally. Christie adds real warmth to very factual, and medical information … I urge all of you to read this book
—— Five Little Doves[Watson] beautifully describes the life-affirming impact of nurses doing and saying the right thing
—— Strong Words[Watson] tells us things we need to know
—— Chisholm , The Tablet[The Language of Kindness is] a tender and beautifully written account of how this process – learning how to be kind – challenges, teaches, sometimes harms, and then completes a person
—— Peter Dorward , TelegraphAt the heart of Christie Watson’s philanthropic memoir…lies a remarkable thesis on life, death and the kaleidoscopic narratives…that weave us together
—— Kat Lister , The PoolThis stunning read reminds us that nurses are human after all
—— Jude Rogers , Mail on SundayChristie Watson's memoir of 20 years as an NHS nurse is completely absorbing. The best books tell us about life as well as lives and I've read nothing recently that I found so moving and, even in its descriptions of suffering and death, so uplifting. Watson has an eye for detail that is practical, compassionate and very often funny
—— Lucy Lethbridge , The TabletChristie captures life as a nurse in the humblest manner, and anyone in or considering nursing is encouraged to read it
—— Julia Williams , Gastrointestinal NursingWatson’s prose…fizzes with real life, each story and encounter containing its own epic narrative sweep
—— Lucy Lethbridge , The OldieThis brilliant and profound book left an indelible mark on me this year
—— Ian Birrell , iMoving and compassionate…The Language of Kindness… is a sensitive, perceptive and blunt account of a nurse’s journey
—— Richard Barr , Solicitors JournalAn astounding account of life as a nurse
—— Liz Nice , Eastern Daily PressThe Language of Kindness exerts the power of a gripping novel threaded with science, philosophy, history and ethics. Like poetry, it resists paraphrase. A quick summary is out of the question, this brilliant life-changing book has to be experienced.
—— Martina Evans , Irish TimesWatson evokes the topography of each arm of nursing in vivid detail.
—— Irish TimesI defy anyone to finish this without weeping and giving thanks for the NHS… An important book that should be on every reading list.
—— Fanny Blake , Woman & HomeThe Language of Kindness could not be more compelling or more welcome. It's about how we survive, and about the people who help us do so
—— Roxana Robinson , New York Times Book Review[A] powerful account of her life as a nurse… reading her memoir is a truly uplifting experience.
—— Jacqueline Wilson , The WeekA nurse’s voice has never really been heard before on this scale. Now’s the time for it to ring loud.
—— Stylist[Watson] is an elegant, eloquent writer who brings an immediacy to her work. You are right there beside her all the way as she provides a fascinating insight into the trails and triumphs of life in an NHS hospital… a rallying call for kindness and compassion that every one of us should embrace.
—— Mernie Gilmore , Sunday ExpressThrough Watson, we are taken on an absorbing, all-seeing tour through the doors of the hospital
—— Molly Case , Guardian