If you are looking for a holiday read with a bit of substance, then this book might be just what you are looking for!

Do you know someone who is so obsessed with themselves, that they have no empathy or regard for others?

They are unable to work in a team…they want to be seen, to be the centre of attention.

That person is probably charming, friendly, supportive even…until you become of no worth to them, and their true colours appear.

Then it is highly likely that that person is a narcissist!

The Life of I is an insight into how and why narcissism develops, and I have to say I found it more then a little unsettling.

The author, Anne Manne, is a Melbourne writer who has been a regular columnist for the Australian and the Age.

I love the quirky cover design….complete with a “mirror”!

Life-of-I

The Life of I is split into two sections…”Narcissist and the Individual” and “Narcissist and Society”.

I found the first section fascinating…Manne analyses the extremes of human behavior on an individual basis, and uses examples such as Lance Armstrong and the Norwegian pychopath, Anders Breivik.

As my husband is a keen cyclist, we found the chapter on Armstrong interesting…he is one man you wouldn’t want to cross!

In fact, if reading about these men doesn’t make you uneasy, nothing will!

And strangely, all but one person mentioned in the book are men…the one exception is Ayn Rand.

Manne writes about the worrying increase of narcissists in our society, and sadly, we know a person who is definitely a narcissist.

Perfectly charming until things don’t go their way, then the nasty streak appears.

I wasn’t aware such a person could exist, but they do…I have seen them in action, and needless to say, we try to have as little as possible to do with them.

The second section of the book I found rather heavy going…it concentrates more on narcissism at a society level, and questions how our society is creating narcissists…including those who are searching for fame and fortune.

One sad but funny observation was that Kanye West wrote ‘creative genius’ on all his travel documents, but couldn’t spell it correctly…

And many of us do have narcissistic traits…look at the selfie craze and the obsession with social media…even blogging!

But it is in how we treat others that makes true narcissists stand out.

The Life of I doesn’t excuse a narcissist’s behavior, but it might help you to understand a bit more about how a narcissist will think and act.

A fascinating read!

The Life of I by Anne Manne can be found in all good bookshops and online….I bought my copy from the Brunswick Street Bookst0re.

Please note: this is not a sponsored post! My opinions are, as always, totally my own!