This book describes the experiences of shy people throughout history. It highlights published personal accounts, which means that most voices are White and male. The author also spends much time discussing the concept of "English reserve." Shyness in non UK/US societies is usually described in the aggregate, such as people who are native to the Trobriand Islands; I wish there had been more individual accounts for these other cultures. The book is less a scientific exploration of the causes of shyness and more a cultural narrative and, ultimately, a "celebration" of shyness as part of the human condition. Recommended.

The parts I enjoyed most discuss the different ways (such as admiration, kindness, derision, or pity) that general society has regarded shyness over time. I also found it interesting how shyness and unrequited love are often equated. The author notes:

"In Why Love Hurts (2013), the sociologist Eva Illouz argues that unrequited love, idealized in poetry since the Provencal troubadours as a sign of profundity and sensitivity, has become an embarrassment in contemporary culture."

And later:

"In an age that values emotional mutuality, unrequited love signals immaturity and low self-esteem. A new word has emerged to describe this unenviable state: 'needy.' The word that once just meant 'destitute and deserving' now also means 'clingy and insecure.'"

It would be interesting to explore how the experience of unrequited love, by both the lover and the beloved, interplays with issues of consent. But that is the subject of another book! ( )

Not going to finish this. Just borrowed on the spur of the moment from the library. I read about fifty pages and decided that would do me. ( )

I’m a little disappointed in this book. It’s full of anecdotes and observations but I don’t feel I’m any further forward in understanding what shyness is.

The vignettes chosen by the author seem to conflate introversion, social anxiety, autism, mental illness, rebellion and plain eccentricity. He says that we can all be shy in different contexts but focuses on ‘shy’ individuals or groups. He touches briefly on cultural aspects of shyness, how in some societies it is seen as positive and in others negative. There’s some passing discussion of the impact of technology (eg it’s easier to ask someone out by text than face-to-face).

Many of his case studies are of middle- and upper-class English men. They are able to take their ‘shyness’ (if that is an adequate term) to extremes because they have the resources to keep the world at bay. In one of the more interesting chapters he discusses whether shy people can and should learn to adapt or whether they should structure their lives to minimise social interaction. But it’s hard to answer this without a working definition of shyness – does the shy person love solitude or is she desperately lonely but somehow unable to connect?

Although he touches on the physical nature of shyness – and particularly blushing – I would have been interested to know more about the physiology of it. What about that elusive ‘chemistry’? Why do we have a visceral reaction – positive or negative – to some people before they’ve even spoken? Some people set us immediately at ease, others leave us on edge or flat and empty. A rare few transform us into more vivid and articulate versions of ourselves. Maybe ‘shyness’ is in part a greater sensitivity to these signals?

I suppose this book lives up to its billing as field guide. There are some detailed descriptions of selected specimens. But I was hoping for a bit more insight and analysis. ( )

I am naturally drawn to studies of my particular human condition - shyness - and Joe Moran's book is the new Quiet. I knew this would be an enjoyable and informative read from the number of times I said 'Yes!' in sympathy during the introduction - how talking on the phone is its own special brand of torture, constantly getting left out between two group conversations, and how 'hugging me is like trying to cuddle a scarecrow'. All me.

Moran covers possibly every aspect of being shy, from examples in the natural world (the 'shrinking violets' of the title) to human psychology, via some surprising famous case studies, including George Best (who resorted to 'liquid extroversion' to conquer his shyness), Dirk Bogarde, Agatha Christie, LS Lowry, Alan Turing and Morrissey of The Smiths. My favourite fellow wallflower would have to be Lord William Cavendish Scott Bentinck, or the Duke of Bedford, who built himself an underground maze of tunnels, including a ballroom, on his estate, just so he wouldn't have to talk to people.

Very interesting, whatever your social persuasion, but inspirational for introverts. ( )

Shrinking Violets: A Field Guide to Shyness is what it says: a guide to what makes people shy and why shyness causes certain behaviours. It's part sociology, part social history, part psychology.

Moran begins his study with a summarisation of animal behaviour research into the shy-bold spectrum observed in a number of animal species. From this, it seems that shyness acts as a balance to boldness that helps a species to bond and survive. My favourites were the elks of Banff, some of whom were so bold that they could lead the shyer elks astray.

The main bulk of the book is arranged into chapters on particular themes and takes the form of a series of case studies, looking at shy people through history and shyness' relationship to notions such as British Reserve.

Moran reflects on the over-sharing nature of modern life, particularly through social media, and the suspicion this engenders when faced with someone shy, bringing round an assumption that they are posturing somehow. He's not a fan of social media.

There are lots of pen studies of the celebrated and talented, a surprising number of whom are or were shy. Actors, writers, musicians, you name it, they're apparently a shy lot.

As well as the pop culture case studies, there's a lot in the book about theories of human behaviour and the psychology of shyness. I learnt plenty about the diagnosis and treatment of shyness as a mental disorder.

All in all, this is a wide ranging book, but it's engagingly written and structured in a way that pulls all of Moran's disparate thoughts on shyness into a coherent study of the condition. Even if you're not interested in shyness as a topic, there are lots of intriguing snippets about the famous and celebrated to make this an entertaining read. ( )