Sometimes Humorous Writing is What Makes a Book Worth Reading

 Felix's blog on the book Sorry I'm Late,I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes - Jessica Pan

There are a ton of informational books out there, and all aim to help the reader learn or at least acknowledge something new. In the book Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes, Jessica Pan informs readers what happened over the course of a year, and what led up to it, when she tried to counter her introverted ways. While the book certainly informs readers of what happened in the duration of that year, she explains her many awkward interactions with humor and self-deprecation which sometimes makes this book feel less informational and more like a look into her life. Even though I only recently started reading this book, Pan’s writing style is what keeps me reading this book.

In the first chapter, Pan sets the stage with a story titled “Rock Bottom,” describing her bleak lifestyle prior to deciding to try a year of being social. In this process of trying to quell her emotional suffering, Pan attempts to win a gym membership from a month-long contest. Eventually the only two people remaining in this contest were Jessica and a fellow competitor named Portia. Pan hilariously describes this one sided rivalry in her inner monologue, “‘you signed up for this contest to get healthy and happy, and now all you’re talking about is vanquishing someone named Portia’”(6). During one of the lowest points in her life, Pan is joking about obsessing over a gym membership and a woman named Portia. This style of writing makes nonfiction books a joy to read from my perspective as someone who rarely finds books funny enough to laugh out loud to.

Remaining in the first chapter, Pan references what happened to her past friendships since her “rock bottom” experience. Pan references how she treated others around her as, “I had essentially created a fortress around myself, stacked high with books and a sign on the wall that said, ‘I DON’T NEED YOU ANYWAY!’”(5). While her imagery is funny and well represents how she felt she was perceived at the time, I find the idea quite relatable. The feeling of closing yourself off from the world and acting like you don’t need anyone is painfully true to me. So while I laughed at this part of the chapter, deep down it was likely because I related to it so heavily. However, overall her use of vocabulary and creating a visual representation of her emotions I appreciated because Pan could’ve simply written that she felt closed off from the world but instead chose to reenact the idea with imagery.

In Pan’s second chapter, she begins her journey of trying to go out of her introverted comfort zone by getting advice and trying different methods. One key moment she experienced was when she went into public and asked who the Queen of England was. She lived in London at the time so this question was relevant to civilians minding their days. During this attempt to be social, Pan runs into the comedic scenario of no one actually knowing in response to her question. They respond with “Victoria,” and Pan thinks, “OK, extrovert experiment aside–does no one know who the Queen of England is?”(17). While the correct answer was “Elizabeth” this funny observation was a good way to stray away from the fact that Pan was going out into public and asking who the Queen of England was and the nervous emotions she experienced with that as a shy introvert. Social interactions can be difficult for some people, specifically the author Jessica Pan, yet this book so far has informed me about whole new levels of introversion and the rewards of simply starting a conversation with someone. Overall, from what I’ve read so far, I highly recommend this book and Pan’s comedic writing style adds appeal and laughs to what would be a boring informative book about introverts.

Works Cited

Pan, Jessica. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes. Andrews Mcmeel Publishing, 2019.