Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am giving my rating based on my own personal opinion and not that of any other party.

This is an updated issue of the original book, and the author states that if you read the original, there might not be a lot in the new edition to justify its purchase. However, if you are unfamiliar with the DISC method and the four colors - Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green of personalities, then this book would be interesting. The author is Swedish and the examples come from his experience in Sweden. I recommend it to understand people better and what their motivations are as well as how they respond and why to boredom, being attacked verbally, etc. If you are a manager, it would probably help you understand employees better as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson is a fascinating (and sometimes funny) look at human behavior through four color-coded personality types: Red (dominant and driven), Yellow (outgoing and energetic), Green (calm and agreeable), and Blue (analytical and perfectionist).

I found myself easily matching certain people in my life to these descriptions—sometimes almost too perfectly. What’s interesting is how Erikson shows that most of us are actually blends of multiple “colors,” which makes the system feel both relatable and flexible.

That said, at times it felt a little like reading a horoscope—you can fit anyone into these categories if you try hard enough. Still, the book is packed with entertaining examples (like how personalities shift at parties after a few drinks) and offers a fresh perspective on communication and relationships.

Overall, I’d recommend it if you’re curious about personality frameworks and enjoy self-development reads. It’s not a flawless system, but it’s insightful, fun, and definitely makes you reflect on yourself and others.

This book is a classic for a reason! I've read the original but truly enjoyed the expanded version - serves as a great refresher or net-new read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the fully updated version of Surrounded by Idiots. It contains all of the pertinent information from the original release but it has been expanded to include additional examples with each chapter. Outdated references and terminology have also been amended. This is the primary book in the series and I would highly recommend reading this one before attempting any of the others. They all stem off of the same premise.

Surrounded by Idiots covers the author's theory that all people can be broken down into four behavioral types. Each of these types has their own communication style. In learning each of these types and their preferences, one should be able to meaningfully interact with the people around them.

A majority of the information and anecdotes are geared toward coworker interactions. However, there is quite a bit of the information that can be applied to situations outside the workplace whether it pertains to neighbors or even family members. The primary focus of the book is the improvement of communication skills and I think that’s something that everyone could use.

Overall, Surrounded by Idiots is an interesting take on learning to navigate communication in all areas of life.

I picked up Surrounded by Idiots after a tough day of teaching, and the title alone hooked me. What Thomas Erikson makes clear, though, is that we’re not really surrounded by “idiots”—just people who think differently than we do. His framework for understanding the four behavior types is practical, eye-opening, and surprisingly relatable, whether in the classroom, the workplace, or everyday life.

I gave this a try, again. I just don't see anything revolutionary that I can't find in other books already.
I do see the appeal for others and recommended the college library buy it.

I enjoyed the book. It was an interesting and informative read! I enjoyed the writing style, as it was easy to understand. While I haven't read the original, I can say this version is worth the read!

While the concepts for understanding and interacting with people are helpful to some degree, people aren't solely one type or another. We need to provide space for more nuance in our lives, especially when we're considering other people.

This was just a repackaged idea of what workplace psychology looks like. Instead of feeling like I was learning, it felt like I was being sold this new found thinking about how people act.

“Surrounded by idiots” categorizes people in four groups/colors: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Each of them has its own uniqueness and characteristics that differentiate them from each-other. It gives examples showing who is who, and how to deal with the “who’s”. I found myself between these colors, definitely found my closest people, and sure, it helped me find elements of the new people I talk to everyday.

Well, don’t expect to be surprised or amazed by this book, since at the end of the day it is a description of peoples’s behavior, how to deal with them and how to avoid unwanted conflicts (and vice versa). It is not the first to talk about this topic. It is just a revision of examples, advices, experiences, and learnings. But nothing world-changing - or who knows - have a business plan and already know who will be responsible for each job.

Overall, I enjoyed it, even though it took me weeks to finish it, but it was better this way, since I had more time to analyze the people in the real world, and then the ones of the book. I was in the situation where this book was a necessity for clearing up my mind that no one will completely understand/accept my POVs, and neither should I force myself to always agree with others too.

This is a very interesting book. If you think that it is someone letting off steam because of the people around him, nothing could be further from the truth. It asks the reader to step back and look at how he or she is relating to those individuals and whether the problem is communication rather than the fact that the world is filled with idiots. This book should be required reading if you work in the corporate world particularly or just need to interact with your fellow humans. It would have been invaluable if I was still consulting with independent contractors and their staff.

It is written in clear text that is simple to read and understand. Any fan of Meyers Brigg will be it enlightening. According to the book, we all fall into four colours. Red, yellow, green and blue. It goes into detail of the characteristics of all four in varying situations and outlines how best to get along by understanding how they may be interpreting what you say and do. There is the old adage that the message must be sent, received and understood. The book could go a long way towards facilitating the last two and mostly the understood. We are, as the book says, in the minority. The minority of one among multitudes. Anything that can help us navigate successfully, is definitely welcome.

Four purrs and two paws up.

This was such an interesting read. I countdown help but think of all the people close to me and where would they fall in

Thought it was ok, wasn't really my speed. It wasn't a new topic for those like me who read up on personalities. May recommend this to someone who is new to the topic.

A practical and insightful guide to understanding communication styles. 💡 Thomas Erikson explains the four personality types with clarity, humor, and relatable examples—making it easy to see ourselves (and others) in his framework. The revised & expanded edition adds fresh insights while keeping the original’s straightforward approach. A helpful tool for both personal growth and workplace dynamics.

Although I don't (often) feel that I'm surrounded by idiots at work, I do struggle to understand the ways that some people in my office think and function. Erikson's Surrounded by Idiots book truly helped me to analyze my own personality type and the way that informs how I work. Better understanding myself has helped me to better understand those who think very differently than me. This book has made me a better employee, colleague, and boss!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

If anyone reading this has not yet read SURROUNDED BY NARCISSISTS: How to Effectively Recognize, Avoid, and Defend Yourself Against Toxic People (and Not Lose Your Mind) I recommend you go do that.

Back so soon? Okay, here we go.

I didn't read the original version so cannot comment on whatever might be new in the presentation of the text. I can tell you it's easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to misuse. You are not going to be a mental-health professional after reading this book. I think anyone who feels frustrated and put-upon by the goofballs and simps surrounding them should go get a therapist. To be completely honest I think that anyway...go get a therapist! It will change your life for the better.

Absent that, reading this book is best done with the realization that at least a dozen people are reading it because of you. It behooves all of us to get better at communication with people not like ourselves, but from a place of non-judgmental desire to be better about our affect in this world.

I can hear y'all snickering, it's really quite rude. I already said it's best to read this (and all other books like it) in the full realization that others are reading them to detoxify your affect on them. I really mean that. Communication problems are always mutual. When you simply dislike someone you still need to be able to communicate with them to be effective in any social situation where there are other people...in other words, all of them. Talking to MAGAts or religious nuts is hard, but we all need to do it sometimes. I myownself keep interactions with them as short as possible and avoid eye contact the way our pal Mamie does with Mondays, for the same reason.

This particular iteration of the DISC / Meyers-Briggs system, using colors in place of letters, works as well as these things ever do: Not very, but useful as a quick issue-defusing technique. It's easy to internalize, comes with built-in shorthand, and can help you walk away from difficult conversations without creating more trouble.

It's not, and does not purport or pretend to be, a substitute for the hard work of therapy. Which everyone should do. But since there's no way in hell most lazy slugs will bother, and no way most people can afford it if they were willing (which they're not), and no easy way to find or know how to judge which therapist is the right one for you, we have books like this.

Use it the way he tells you to and you will do no (further) harm.

That alone is worth more than the purchase price.

Surrounded by Idiots Revised & Expanded Edition by Thomas Erikson has written an informative book that really opened my eyes.
This was a good book to go to if you want to learn how to master the four basic behavior types and change the way you communicate. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on reading the author's backlisted books starting with Surrounded by Psychopaths.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book was interesting, basically a different take on personalities and their groupings. I have not read the original edition, so this was all new to me. I think there are some good takeaways about interacting with types of people, but I think the author does a good job of mentioning caveats and that there truly is no "one size fits all approach".

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Surrounded by Idiots, the Revised & Expanded Edition, takes an already classic, great book and finds a way to make it even better.

What is so great about this book, is it takes a complicated topic, the four color personality model, DISC, and makes it easily digestible to the average person, while also being entertaining, humorous, and fun.

I can not recommend this book enough for anyone who wants to understand people better, or expand on their communication skills.

The addition of the examples in today’s real world, as well as the added lists of do’s and don’ts really adds to the original, and the deep dive into how there are “mixed” personalities, also further helps classify why some people behave the way they do.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to work on their “people” skills, or just has an interest in learning about the science behind personalities.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, Thomas Erikson, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.