This book is an excellent layman's introduction to narcissism and how you can deal with narcissists you may encounter in your life. The many examples and anecdotes of this type of behavior helped me to understand what narcissism is and how I can handle it on a daily basis. I was even helped to understand some of my own narcissistic behaviors. The writing is very clear, and assuming English is not the author's first language, the author is very fluent in the text. I did find a few examples of sentences that I had to read a couple of times in order to get the meaning, but the book far and away is smooth sailing and the development of the subject is direct and logical from start to finish.

3.5 stars.

I was really enjoying this book and getting a lot of it in the first sections. I felt validated and less crazy about the two closest people in my life who I recently have come to the conclusion are both narcissists and that I somehow attract them without realizing it. I learned a lot of warning signs, and appreciated the reiteration to get as far away from them as possible. The 3rd part of the book lost me though. Ironically a lot of this section of the book sounded almost narcissistic to me. I was lost in what sounded more like complaining about the current state of affairs between adults and their children and less about learning how to stop those behaviors although there were glimpses here and there. If the 3rd section hadnt have been a part of this book, I woule have given it 4 stars.

3.5 STARS! “Surrounded by Narcissists” is one of many books I’ve read recently on the subject. I really enjoyed the author’s conversational style and humor! While I don’t think I learned anything new on the subject, there were some unique discussions of how narcissism affects different personality types. I enjoyed learning about Reds, Yellows, Greens, and Blues and how the weaknesses of each personality type would be vulnerable to manipulate by a narcissist.

I also thought the points about our culture fostering narcissism were very timely and so true! I appreciated the author’s boldness to share that if we would focus on others more than ourselves then we would see a change in our culture. I know this wasn’t a faith-based book, but I was happy to see many statements that were in line with my faith!

If you haven’t read a book on the subject of narcissism, and it’s increasing prevalence today- I would definitely recommend this as an interesting read! My only regret with the book overall is the thought that we should rarely try to “out” a manipulative and narcissistic person, and the authors main advice was to run away. (Although there is a section on how to confront a manipulative person, distance was seen as preferable to confrontation). And again, I know this is not a faith-based book, but I would be eager to read how to handle such a person in terms of how the Bible sees these people. I think there’s a very good argument that the Pharisees fit the bill for narcissistic individuals. And we could learn a lot from Christ’s handling of them.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Informative and necessary! Such an excellent read, I liked it better than the previous “surrounded by” books. Just preordered my copy.

Truly excellent. Identifying characteristics of a narcissist is crucial. They really do exist in every social situation: jobs, families, clubs, church communities, etc. This book is a terrific guide in defining, recognizing, and managing someone with NPD ( to an extent.) Important for parents, adult children, employers, employees...really anyone. Being around the behavior for long periods of time can have devastating effects. Victims of it will learn that the narcissist's patterns are not their fault. Recommended!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think the new trigger phrase is "narcissistic." It used to be Karen but lately I hear people using this word, even if it's not applicable. Having done some personal research into narcissism due to family members exhibiting those characteristics, I was looking forward to reading this book and finding out more in a concentrated focus as opposed to Googling sources. This book had an easy to read tone and is helpful for understanding what exactly narcissism is.

I like to figure out why people do what they do, so I found this book fascinating. The author, writing in a friendly conversational style, tells us how to identify a narcissist, or someone with narcissistic personality disorder, or a person who just has some of these traits. We can blame permissive parents or the Internet, but some of these behaviors may be hard wired, involving some nature and some nurture. It does seem that nowadays more people are focused on what THEY want rather than trying to consider how their behavior might affect others. I liked the authors’ example: “If the person sitting in the front row of the airplane leans the seat back as far as it will go…this spreads all the way back, until…the person in the last row has nowhere to go. Sometimes I get the feeling that a growing number of us have started pushing our seats back all the way.” Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson is an in-depth look at what it means to be a Narcissist and how best to relate to them (or not) in everyday life.

Narcissists consider themselves special and will value themselves at the expense of others. They crave the praise and adulation of others and will do anything to get it.

I found the comparison between Psychopath, Narcissism and Machiavellianism interesting. All of these personality disorders have overlapping presentations but are uniquely different. For example, “Psychopathy mostly involves being cold, unempathetic, and insensitive to the needs of others. Machiavellianism mostly involves manipulating people for personal gain. Narcissism mostly involves feeling deserving of praise and special treatment that others don’t receive.

I can’t say I’ve actively known someone who could be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I’ve definitely known, and currently, know people who have narcissistic traits.

I hate to think that I would be vulnerable to a narcissist but after reading this book, I think we all are. If I can realize this about myself hopefully, I can stay vigilant and keep an eye out for red flags.

One thing I didn’t like is the way studies are referenced. I prefer studies to be referenced at the end of the chapter and numbered but this book had them at the end of the book with no numeral reference. This made it difficult to check as I went along, especially on Kindle.

This book was written in an easy-to-read, straight forward style. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they know a narcissist or wants to know more about how a narcissist behaves.

Rating: 4/5
Genre: Non-Fiction/psychology

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Thomas Erickson for the eARC of "Surrounded by Narcissists"

I found this to be educational, and gets down to the nitty gritty of the term "narcissist". It was easy to read and super helpful in pin pointing the characteristics of what this disease really looks like.

In this thought-provoking, Thomas Erikson helps you understand what influences narcissists and, crucially, how to navigate their behavior. With the help of the behavioural model made famous in Surrounded by Idiots, Erikson provides all the tools you need to manage not just the narcissists around you but everyday narcissistic tendencies as well - itself becoming more widespread in this age of social media. Engaging and practical, Surrounded by Narcissists provides valuable insight and guidance so you can understand the how and why while utilizing real world practicality in dealing with narcissistic behavior.

Narcissism is a word thrown around a great deal recently. I hear " He's a Narcissist " , S,he has Narcissistic tendencies" .In the culture of today's world where one is taught to put themselves first, it is not a surprise that there may be such thoughts. So what exactly is a person like who is a Narcissist? This is the first book I've read on this subject that delved in deep to every characteristic., beginning with the fact that Narcissism is a personality disorder. There is no medication that will fix it or any therapy that would cure it. What is the difference between a person that has a great self esteem and is successful and a Narcissist?. Read this book to have that question answered in a crystal clear way. Many examples of behaviors in various situations. In one of the ending Cahapters there is a test on "Are you a Narcissist? This is a book that I will re read and refer to.
Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
It publishes on June 21, 2022

*Updated Version*
Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.