They were smarter than I was about people.

[SmilingTeapot]

Hello

I don't understand "I was about people." Is it an idiom?

Here is the text where I read "I was about people:"

I wish Jules had met my mother, but somehow I had never arranged for them to get to know one another. Both of them were smarter than I WAS ABOUT PEOPLE. But they only spoke once on the phone when I was out grocery shopping. I remember afterward that I asked Jules what they’d talked about. “Tie-dyeing,” she said. To this day I am not sure WHETHER she was kidding.

Also I would like to know if I can say "To this day I am not sure WHETHER OR NOT she was kidding?" If I can, does my sentence has the same meaning as "To this day I am not sure WHETHER she was kidding?"

Thank you very much,
SmilingTeapot

[mykwyner]

This means that Jules and my mother both knew more (were smarter) about people than I did. They understood more about human behavior than I did. They were smarter than I was on the subject of people.

Yes, you can omit the "or not" in most whether constructions.

[SmilingTeapot]

Now, I understand.

Many thanks mykwyner.

smilingTeapot