Book Review - Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: An Introvert’s Year of Living Dangerously

Mental Health Series Part 3

Disclaimer: I checked this book from my local public library. I received no compensation for writing this review.

Sometimes moving to three different continents isn’t enough of a change.

Jessica Pan was born and raised in Texas, but has spent her young adult life working in China, Australia, and England. Now married to a Brit and living in London, she chronicles a year of her life and the changes she tries to make. Jessica describes herself as a “shin-trovert”, a shy introvert. I immediately connected with her writing style and felt like I was talking with a friend. I felt myself nodding along to her descriptions of living as a “shin-trovert.”

For years, my teachers had glowing reviews for me on report cards. I was an excellent student and really enjoyed school. However, consistently there was one area for improvement: I needed to participate in whole group discussions. I remember having a hard time in whole class activities or discussions with a soft voice and feeling discouraged at having to repeat myself. Instead, I would prefer to participate in small groups and simply observe the larger groups.

This worked with moderate success for most of my schooling, with a few teachers standing out  for their creative ways to encourage us introverts to feel more at ease. As you might imagine, French class was a particularly unique struggle, as a large portion of our grade was participation and speaking. Monsieur K wanted us to feel at ease. There was always a French song playing as we entered the classroom, he brought French food to our final exams, and had a very fair participation policy. I certainly stepped outside my comfort zone when I led a class discussion, en français, on a book chapter of L’étranger, by Albert Camus as a high school junior.

My senior year of high school, I returned to my elementary school for an independent student called Senior Project. When getting some paperwork signed, I remember discussing my intent to work with fourth graders before studying to become a teacher with my band director. He glanced at my paperwork, looked over at me, and commented not unkindly, “You know you have to talk as a teacher, right?”

These memories coincided with Jessica’s memoirs. She researches different public speaking coaches, tries various forms of stand-up comedy, and spends lots of time outside of her comfort zone. Along the way, she is reminded by her husband and friends that she wants to do this, to extend herself and try new things. As adults, it can be scary to step outside of our comfort zone. After all, isn’t the point of growing up the ability to eat whatever we want and do what we prefer? However, Jessica learns that while she still has her preferences, she can take calculated risks and still find success by saying YES to new endeavors.