jrcronewillis's review against another edition
2.0
This was a clever idea, but ultimately the tone put me off. Once I realized that the author is a writer for David Letterman, I recognized the attitude as flippant, cocky, late-night man-humor. This is why I don't watch late-night talk shows.
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
One of my least favorite genres--"middle aged male navel gazing" (another least favorite is "post apocalyptic," for those keeping score), but this one was relatively entertaining. The protagonist is saddled with pain and becomes a fan and follower of a book, "The Power of Ow," that insists that the pain he is feeling is actually in his mind, and he needs to deal with that before he will be pain free.
aaronlindsey's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious! Larry David provided a blurb for the back of the cover, and that is fitting because it'd the same kind of humor you find on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Another similarity that I loved, Scheft uses real celebrities in the story. I love that. Derek Jeter even pops up near the end. If you like funny books, this one is for you.
imbookingit's review
4.0
I read this book as I was starting to really have problems with the back pain that had been bothering me a little bit for months. It was just the book for my frame of mind.
This is funny book. No question. It's a very satirical humor, which I enjoy. As with most satire, even its most ridiculous moments have roots in reality.
I enjoyed both of the self-help gurus: The doctor who claims all physical pain is caused by issues in the psyche. Resolve those, and the pain will go away. The problem is, who can ever really resolve all resentments, anger, and so on?
Better yet was "Marty Fleck", Phil's alter-ego for his parody of a self-help book, Where Can I Stow My Baggage?. No one is more surprised than he is when people take it seriously, and are actually helped by it.
There's a romantic storyline, and (as you'd expect) that has twists and turns as well. Janet was a little flat compared to the other characters, but not enough so to be an issue.
The (rather ridiculously complex) family relationships and accompanying issues made for interesting reading, and again, there were roots in reality that made the craziness worth reflecting on.
This book won't work for everyone. The humor won't work for some, the issues being satirized won't speak to others. If it doesn't sound like it would appeal to you, you're probably right. If it sounds good to you, pick it up to read. I'm glad I did.
This is funny book. No question. It's a very satirical humor, which I enjoy. As with most satire, even its most ridiculous moments have roots in reality.
I enjoyed both of the self-help gurus: The doctor who claims all physical pain is caused by issues in the psyche. Resolve those, and the pain will go away. The problem is, who can ever really resolve all resentments, anger, and so on?
Better yet was "Marty Fleck", Phil's alter-ego for his parody of a self-help book, Where Can I Stow My Baggage?. No one is more surprised than he is when people take it seriously, and are actually helped by it.
There's a romantic storyline, and (as you'd expect) that has twists and turns as well. Janet was a little flat compared to the other characters, but not enough so to be an issue.
The (rather ridiculously complex) family relationships and accompanying issues made for interesting reading, and again, there were roots in reality that made the craziness worth reflecting on.
This book won't work for everyone. The humor won't work for some, the issues being satirized won't speak to others. If it doesn't sound like it would appeal to you, you're probably right. If it sounds good to you, pick it up to read. I'm glad I did.
5wamp_creature's review
3.0
So Bill Scheft wrote this as therapy for his own hip problem. It is marginally clever and rarely funny. Bomb threat at wedding is damn good, though.
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