Good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight dear readers! Welcome to the first book review I have attempted since high school! (Bear with me... I'm a little rusty.)
All my life I have struggled with this idea of causing trouble due to the fact I tend to swim upstream and defy the status quo. Now that I'm an adult with an office job, I feel it even more lately. I have a history in debate, always fact check things, and tend to be the person who needs to understand the "why" of something before I'm willing to blindly follow a group decision. In groups I am also that person who always tends to speak first. I like to shake the boat and provide different view points. I genuinely want to make people think through the problems laid before us. If you are anything like me, then you know how taxing this can be on a mental and emotional level.
About a year ago, I was stranded in the Denver Airport with a 5 hour delay. After wandering the terminal for what seemed like eternity, I ended up in a bookstore staring blankly at the New York Best Sellers section. As I was looking at titles, I was drawn to the self-help "how to organize you life" type books. Mind you, up to this point I tended to spend my free time binge watching Netflix, so it makes sense I was on a productive kick at this particular moment in my life.
Looking back, the selection process definitely could've used some fine tuning. (When I say that... it means I chose my books the way I choose my wine; by the label. I know, I'm a heathen in the academic community for choosing a book by it's cover, but in my defense this marketing was exactly what I needed.) You see, I was discontent with the way life was working out, and the title of this book put a word to every emotion I had been feeling... I was seen as a troublemaker, and I hated it. I thought this might just be the answer to all my problems, and a solution to figure out how to fix other's perceptions of me. Up until now I was almost obsessed with being accepted. I wanted to be everyone's friend and fit the images that those around projected upon me. This was difficult because I had the tiny problem of calling people out in meetings or life situations because I am a natural dissenter. Safe to say, I read the synopsis on the cover and it sounded like just what I needed to validate my feelings and start fresh.
Now that I have had a lot of time trying to adjust to the COVID-19 issues (not like my life really changed other than now I can't go to restaurants and have to cook 😩), I finally got around to reading the book. For someone who bought a book to validate her feelings in life and the workplace, I was pleasantly surprised that Nemeth's book was a PhD based scientific study she had conducted. What better form of validation than facts am I right!?
Nemeth has laid the book out in a very logical fashion. She split the book out into four parts, each with approximately 3 subcategories. She uses social experiments as the factual representation of her arguments. She also provides prominent studies that share the alternate view and counters them with her own studies to see if they still stand. I personally enjoy the scientific approach the book takes because fact is hard to argue with. Honestly though, at times the book is hard to get through even for me. Study after study can put you right to sleep (it didn't help I read before bed). The examples also seemed repetitive, but I see why she added them. It does add value to be reminded of certain things later on in the book.
Nemeth starts the book off strong stating up front the power of dissent and what it can do for us. Those feelings of validation I had when I got this book began to dissolve into a sense of trepidation as I progressed through her words. Nemeth explains that dissent is important because even if the group doesn't end up changing to the dissenter's viewpoint, it forces them to make more informed decisions and they think the problem at hand through in it's entirety. So far so good right? This is what every "troublemaker" like me wants to hear. This is usually the goal; to get people to think. However, most of us don't think we've made an impact unless the group changes it's stance. Nemeth argues that's not the case. Not only that, but the people exposed to dissent will also carry that critical thinking to other environments and similar situations.
Up to this point you're probably thinking: "Ok. I'm only seeing positives so why the concern?" Simple, Nemeth cautions that being a dissenter comes with a price...a big one. She argues that normally dissenters are hated, viewed as someone just trying to cause problems for the h*** of it. The more aggressive a dissenter is in their approach, the more isolated and discriminated against they become. This was not the warm and fuzzy I was looking for. I am a young professional already struggling with lack of experience, age, and gender discrimination in my work place. I was hoping this book was going to be my saving grace. But the message I received is: If you want to make a positive change in these environments, you have to genuinely care about your message, be persistent in your efforts, don't compromise on your beliefs, and understand that you will be disliked and seclude every step of the way. Nemeth gets the point across early on that if you are a true dissenter, it will be hard work mentally and emotionally. Dissent is not for the faint of heart.
This is only Part One y'all, and we're already at this level. I personally think this particular message is one of the most important in the book. At least it was for me because it ripped off my rose colored glasses and told me that the feelings I've been feeling aren't going to go away, and honestly may get worse. So it's a choice. Does the benefit of dissent in my workplace outweigh the emotional cost I will incur? This is something I am still trying to think through and I take it on a case by case basis. Some things I feel it's worth the fight, yet other times I remain silent. It's something I have to do to maintain my own mental health, because people can only endure so much negative perception of themselves and constantly fighting gets exhausting.
The rest of the book focuses on more of the actual science behind dissent and group think, and how to use dissent as a tool to mold the informative process of decision making. I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to give the whole book away. I believe there is value in working for personal development instead of just reading an article and become and expert immediately. (Yay the age of google and instant gratification!) I will mention the other point that Nemeth really drives home though to help entice you to read further. Nemeth states that genuine dissent is the only way to make a lasting difference; devils advocate is not a thing. I personally find this point super interesting since it's a tactic we commonly use in the business world.
So moral of the story/review... go read the book! It's honestly really great and I don't think I have done it justice in this post. If you don't end up reading it that's ok too, no pressure. Like I said, I bought it a year ago and just got to reading it. Even if you don't read it I think I have hit the main points that I found most valuable, but my takeaways may be different than yours. Reading a book is a personal experience so if this article spoke to you, I implore you, please give it a chance 😊
Thank you so much for reading. I hope I have added something of value to your life. And because I am super anal after writing so many Political Science papers, here is the citation for the book:
Nemeth, C. (2018). In Defense of Troublemakers: The Power of Dissent in Life and Business (1st ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.