Dale Carnegie: The Man Who Influenced Millions

Dale Carnegie's works, HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE being the most famous, are very well known. But little is known about the man himself. He is buried under myth and assumptions. Wouldn't you assume that the man who wrote such huge best selling books on human relations would be very outgoing and have a great social life? This book says otherwise. This book is surprising because it says that Dale Carnegie was always a shy and awkward man who occasionally went through periods of being a recluse. Despite the success of his books, he never became an out-going person and he was awkward about his newfound fame and fortune. This book is helpful because it traces the Dale Carnegie Seminars from their genesis, and even lets you know what goes on in some of the seminars. The book, interestingly, says that when one graduates from Dale Carnegie's "Human Relations" class they aren't so much masters of social skills, rather they have developed the ability to be more comfortable with themselves and who they are. They have learned to not be controlled by their insecurities. Dale Carnegie, the man behind the best sellers, was far more interesting, complex, and surprising, than one would think (i.e., wouldn't one imagine him to be the "man about town"? I had expected him to be). I recommend reading this book if you are interested in learning about that man. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My favorite part of this book was reading that upon his arrival in New York City he learned a word that fascinated him, "intuition." A section of photographs is included in this book.