This book made a pretty decent impact on me as a kid. They say that the addiction to other people's opinions is more insidious than drugs and alcohol, that to be enslaved by what other people MIGHT think of you is a horrific way to live. I'm not sure if this book was what helped me escape that particularly pervasive addiction, but I think that it helped. I do think that social awareness and empathy are the unfortunate casualties of leaning too far one way over the other however, and I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned in those arenas.