Amazon.com; September 7, 2009

After hearing about the publication of the new book “That’s So Annoying” by Cynthia Lett, I decided to purchase a copy. Maybe it was the enticing title; or possibly it was curiosity about whether I would agree with everyone else about specifically which behaviors would be characterized as “annoying.” In other words, to some degree I was wondering if my level of irritation at all those annoying people was normal. Regardless of the motivation, I purchased the book, read the book, and had a great time in the process. However, there were a few surprises.

What was not surprising was the confirmation that I shared many of the same opinions as those described in “That’s So Annoying.” Of course, it was inevitable. Who does not get annoyed by the person conducting an excessively loud cell phone conversation within your personal space? The list of annoyances included unruly children, poor personal hygiene, aggressive drivers, and various rude behaviors regarding eating.

One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was to see both sides of an issue. For example, every restaurant patron can relate to the annoyances associated with rude and inattentive waiters / waitresses. However, the author also presents the other side of the coin: from the waiter’s perspective, the annoyances associated with the rude and inconsiderate restaurant patron.

There were initially two aspects of “That’s So Annoying” that I found a little uncomfortable. First of all, I was surprised to find some of my own behaviors described as “annoying.” Is it possible that people would actually become irritated when I eat pizza with a fork and knife? Well, since I do not think that I am hurting anyone with that behavior, I will probably keep on doing it. Though, perhaps I will be a little more humble when I request the missing utensils, recognizing that I may be the odd one in this instance.

The other aspect that was uncomfortable was the number of times that the author’s “Solution” to other’s annoying behaviors was to ignore it, walk away from it, or just get over it. Initially, those did not seem like satisfactory solutions. What about getting all those annoying people to change!?! However, Cynthia Lett’s wisdom becomes clear: you cannot change all those other people. You can only change yourself and the way that you react to the world around you.

So, that is probably the most important lesson offered by “That’s So Annoying.” But the most important thing for you to do is to purchase the book, read it, and enjoy it. Do not let the word “etiquette” on the cover scare you away. This is really about understanding and communicating with other people. Have fun with it, and try not to be so annoying!