Shrinking Violets: The Secret Life of Shyness

A deeply perceptive and beautifully written cultural history of shyness, from one of our most astute observers of the everyday Shyness is a pervasive human trait: even most extroverts know what it is like to stand tongue-tied at the fringe of an unfamiliar group or flush with embarrassment at being the unwelcome center of attention. And yet the cultural history of shyness has remained largely unwritten—until now. With incisiveness, passion, and humor, Joe Moran offers an eclectic and origin...