Narcissist: A Complete Guide for Dealing with Narcissism and Creating the Life You Want by Judy Dyer

Narcissist: A Complete Guide for Dealing with Narcissism and Creating the Life You Want Reviews

• 
  Wulfwyn

  I am not very knowledgeable about narcissism and empaths. Until recently I hadn’t thought of empaths as being “real.” I had mostly came across the term in paranormal and fantasy books. It was actually someone who I now suspect to be a narcissist who told me to read up on empaths. My introduction to narcissist came with the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard case. Though, in hindsight, I suspect I have been in relationships with a narcissist before. This book actually gave me nice introduction to both and how empaths can be targeted by narcissistic people. I found it to be a very interesting read. It gave examples of parents, couples and the workplace. I would have liked a bit more on friendships. As a starting off place though this book is a good selection.
  I received an ARC of this this book for review consideration through BookSprout. My review is based on my experience reading the book. I am aware an ARC can be sent out before editing, therefore I do not address errors that an editor would correct.
• 
  Jennifer

  I received an ARC copy of this book for review, and I found myself frequently distracted by typos and errors in the text, which made for a frustrating read. Hopefully these errors have been corrected prior to publishing.
  
  Having dated a few narcissists, I was immediately drawn to this book. I am an empath, and I have learned from Dyer's book that people like me frequently become the victims of narcissists. My innate drive to nurture and to care for others makes me a prime target for narcissists, who prey on those who are easily manipulated. In addition to examining how narcissists control sexual relationships, the author also examines how narcissistic parents impact their children's development. There is a lot of constructive advice under the heading of "Protective Strategy" with helpful "how to" tips on how to tackle particular situations when dealing with a narcissist. Having experienced this first-hand, I know that having a book like this in my library would have been exceedingly helpful and would have likely prevented a lot of confrontations.
  
  Unfortunately, the book has a very unfinished vibe. This goes beyond my initial statement about the typos. The book reads like a collection of scattered thoughts. The best way that I can describe this is to compare it to a term paper that a student has put off until the night before the due date; it hits all the points it endeavors to cover, but it does so in an unpolished and rushed manner. There are examples of people who have supposedly struggled with narcissists in their lives, but there are no quotes or other facts to actually substantiate these stories. They sound as if they have been made up on the spot. Knowing that this author is not a psychologist, I was not expecting a scientific examination of narcissism, but I was at least expecting a book with sound, factual analysis. I have read better cited Thought Catalog articles. I cannot recommend this book under these circumstances.
• 
  Walker Walker

  Pros: This book will introduce you to the definition of a narcissist. It is very informative and scientific at first and seems to not be applicable in the beginning. Then, the second and following chapters will begin to spark significant interest. For instance, the trauma that the victims endure is unbelievable. I watched a documentary about a narcissistic artist that displayed all of the terrible behaviors described. I found myself wondering why the victims stayed and allowed themselves to be a part of the abuse for so long.
  
  Then, the author goes into detail about the different types of narcissism. What an eye-opening chapter. I began to look at people that were in my life in the past and present. I noticed a lot, if not all, of the signs of narcissism as well. The chapter that revealed a lot for me was the workplace narcissist. I've been sabotaged and questioned and doubted a lot of the traits of this character. Thank goodness I no longer work with that person, but now I know the characteristics.
  
  Without revealing too much more, this book is more than a must-read. It is the epitome of how to recognize someone with mental health issues. It is a book about how to overcome people in your life that is narcissistic. Lastly, this book encourages you to recognize a narcissist and to do something about it, even if that narcissist is you!
  
  Cons: None! Get it and put it in your arsenal. This book is a must!
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Jamie Jack

  Rising Above the Crowd
  
  I am not quite sure why, but there seems to have been a spate of books about narcissism lately, and specifically, books that talk about the relationship pattern that a narcissist usually happens to fall into with an empath. I swear it wasn't all that long ago that the term “empath” was used mostly in fantasy games and magical speculative fiction. Of course, I have seen it referred to in metaphysical books, but I haven't seen it in psychology works. But I digress. Compared to some books that I've recently seen on this topic, this one seems better written and organized. Still, however, it is a very short book, so the subtitle starting with “a complete guide” is wildly inaccurate. No book this short could be a complete guide to anything. That's not to say that the author doesn't have some interesting insights. In fact, she is one of a few authors who has addressed narcissism in relationships outside of romantic ones. So, it is a short read, but it does offer, I believe, little nuggets of wisdom that could help people who are trapped in the losing side of a narcissistic relationship.
  
  I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
  
  My book blog:
  https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
• 
  Cindy Bahl

  The book was well written and better thought out than many on this topic. My only issue was the insistence by the author that a narcissist must also be insecure. This is an outdated idea that this fact is always true. As someone with long term and very direct and personal experience with more than one narcissist, I know this is not always true. Additionally, there is a great deal of research that now shows not all narcissists are also insecure. The repeating of this information as if it was always fact was very irritating. However, overall the book does offer some good insights outside of this annoying trait, interestingly enough. I would not make this your first or only book on the topic due to this issue I found. But it is worth a read.
• 
  Dawn M. Seigo

  Enlightening!
  by Dmarie
  
  I have been researching this issue on the internet but haven't found any information that was this clear and to the point. It helped me understand what I have been dealing with in a personal situation. I would suggest this book to anyone who suspects that a relationship, of any kind, might be toxic to them. Although this book is not a source of diagnostic information (the author makes this clear) it can certainly help one understand things.
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Budd Margolis

  There have been reports that that Americans "are moderately narcissistic people living in a highly narcissistic culture." Dyer claims 10% of Americans are and this book explains how to spot them and how to cope with them.
  
  I have been wondering about the explosion in mental illness and am often shocked when I observe symptoms of one mania or another. I am not in any way a clinician, medically trained anything but I am an observant being and mental incapacity is much more widespread than we would imagine.
  
  Many specific examples are descriptions efficiently presented.
  
  
• 
  Jessica Rister

  An Eye Opener
  
  Anyone who has had or think they are in this type of relationship should read this book. Some parts of the book were hard to read. I noticed a grew up in an abusive home, which lead to a cycle of abusive partners in my adulthood.
• 
  Jessica James

  Insightful
• 
  Rianna

  Basic but clear
  
  A clear description. Not too long. Easy read. Will give you the basics to identify them and start breaking free from the control.
• 
  Don

  Daughter married one and now I've lost all contact with her because of him. Sad this had to happen...
• 
  Melanie S

  Good Introduction to the topic
  
  I'm not as knowledgeable on the topic of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as I would like to be, Judy Dyer's book was a pretty good place to start my learning explorations. I appreciated her introduction to some of the terminology used by the therapeutic community, and her very positive and reassuring approach. I was a bit confused by her alternate characterizations of the narcissist as a pitiable victim of severe personal issues, and and a deliberately heartless manipulator and evildoer. I don't feel as if all my questions have been answered, and I would not agree that her book is "A Complete Guide for Dealing with Narcissism and Creating the Life You Want," but she has given me several topics which I need to explore further. I have a new appreciation for the complexity of NPD, and the extent to which I myself am vulnerable to persons with NPD. Most importantly, I have been given a sane, honest, compassionate look at my own history of personal involvement, which has shaped a good part of my life, and I have also been given hope that it is possible to continue to heal. This is a voluntarily ARC review.