Coping with Shyness

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up Gelinas dispels the erroneous conception that shyness is virtuous and equivalent to modestybut rather is an exceedingly negative characteristic that is the very essence of deep selfishness and self-centeredness. This is not an easy ``how to'' or prescriptive book, but is instead a somewhat formal discussion of an emotional malady that deals with the more serious aspects of this handicap. Writing in second person, Gelinas discusses the types of shyness and forms of their expressions. Case histories verging on the pathological in nature are used to illustrate the frustration, anger, guilt, and self-hate that is characteristic of the truly shy. A five-step approach to rid oneself of shyness is enumerated. The book is not written in clinical terminology; nor is it a casual discussion. It is for serious readers who wish to understand and lessen the trauma of this personality problem. Crash courses in self-improvement are included in chapters on shyness in books such as Dianna Booher's Making Friends with Yourself and Other Strangers (Messner, 1982) and Alice Fleming's What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say (Macmillan, 1982), but these do not provide insight into the roots and expunction of this unwholesome condition as effectively as Gelinas. Sue Diehl, Robertsville Junior High School, Oak Ridge, Tenn.