So my last review was almost 5 months ago. I can hardly believe it has been so long, yet here we are already halfway through May and with only 5 weeks to go in the school year.
Speaking of school, this book has been especially timely for me as my son’s classroom teacher is one of the most crazy-making people I have ever met. Although I haven’t been totally successful in implementing the advice from this book, I will say that it has helped me get a better handle on myself as I navigated through the situation.
People Can’t Drive You Crazy If You Don’t Give Them the Keys by Mike Bechtle is a Revell title, published in October 2012. If the title alone doesn’t draw you in, here’s another gem I have shared with several people since reading this book:
Someone said that if you took all the crazy people in your life and laid them end to end . . . it would be best to just leave them there.
Bechtle’s approach to dealing with crazy-making people boils down to a few simple steps. First, try to influence change in the situation; next, focus on how you can adjust your own attitude by accepting the reality of the situation; and finally, decide if the situation is so unhealthy that you need to walk away from it. The book has 23 chapters, broken down into 5 parts:
- Stuck in a Crazy World
- Changing Someone Else
- Changing Yourself
- Changing Your Environment
- Putting It into Practice
Of course, all of these things are easier said than done, which is why this is a book worth reading all the way through. With a blend of humor and truth, Bechtle helps us look at people more realistically and compassionately, as well as challenging us to look at our own part in each relationship. He also discusses what makes a healthy relationship and how to evaluate them.
Ultimately, People Can’t Drive You Crazy is a book about how to experience freedom in your life, even when you have to interact with and relate to other human beings who are just as flawed as you are. Ironically, freedom comes not from trying to control everyone around us, but from realizing that we actually can’t control them and that we must instead focus on how we respond to them. I think he sets up the dilemma best in this section from chapter 4:
If we’re going to avoid becoming victim of other people’s craziness, it’s critical to operate from a dual perspective: hope and realism. Without hope, maintaining the relationship seems futile. Without realism, we set ourselves up for the probability of disappointment. Without balancing the two views, we lose our ability to make choices that are healthy.
Now I just need a book about what to do when I am the person making other people crazy!
Thank you to Revell for providing a review copy of this book. No other consideration was provided for this review, and all opinions are my own.
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. Written by Dan Walsh and published by Revell, it is the story of Aaron Miller, a Vietnam vet living in obscurity as a trailer park handyman in Florida. Aaron has long been estranged from his family, having fallen victim to addiction and homelessness after his return from the war. God got a hold of his life, however, so all is not lost. He spends his time ministering to those God puts in his path and living out the gentle faith that has grown out of his pain and suffering.
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I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism. When I'm not cheerleading, advocating, or chauffeuring for my son, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
