Melissa Dahl

Melissa Dahl is admittedly no stranger to awkwardness, which probably drives her fascination with it. Starting with a working definition of awkwardness as "self-consciousness tinged with uncertainty, in moments both trivial and serious." This can range from hating the sound of our own voice on a recording, feeling secondhand embarrassment for a TV character, or more serious conversations about politics or race. We call all of these "awkward," and they've probably happened to all of us. Blending scientific studies and her personal experiences (beginning with an audition for Mortified, wherein participants make a 10-minute one-person play using their own middle school journals), she shows ways in which dealing with awkwardness is simply, well, human. We've all felt it, we all relate - and probably other people don't notice those embarrassing moments the way we do. The science does also suggest ways in which we can reframe or deal with those "cringy" feelings and work through them.

It's hard to explain everything the book is about, so I won't even try. I found it fascinating, compelling reading and gobbled it up in about four days. Some of the things Dahl realizes during her experiences are things that I've come to realize too: people don't notice awkwardness as much as we think, and even if they did - they probably relate and understand. Dahl also gave me the language to explain why I don't enjoy TV shows like The Office or Arrested Development: I simply don't like feeling the secondhand embarrassment for these clueless characters. Also, it's okay to laugh and have a sense of humor about yourself! Some of the stories Dahl includes are hilarious, and she's clearly learned to be okay laughing at herself and human absurdity in general a bit more. This is entertaining, informative reading that I highly recommend.… (mer)

Everyone has awkward moments, and everyone has a different tolerance for awkward. Melissa Dahl explores the situations that many could consider to be awkward: improv classes, reading her teenage diary in front of a group of strangers, and talking to strangers, among others. Through her explorations and interviews with experts in psychology, she learns about the mechanisms that provoke the feeling of awkwardness and how to raise one’s tolerance for awkwardness. I enjoyed this book very much (not least because the author and I are around the same age) and would recommend it if you, like me, see the title and think “It’s me!”… (mer)