stronlibrarianvibes's review against another edition
4.0
I asked for this book after reading a review of it on either Gawker or Lifehacker. My fiancee bought it for me for Christmas. I'm glad he did. The chapters are all laid out very similarly, so the reading does get repetitive. But the author does a great job of attacking the kinds of everyday problems folks face, identifying the false thinking many of us fall victim to, helping to reset expectations for what might be healthy and achievable, and provides some scripting.
One potential criticism is that the author does not mince words. This is not for the faint of heart; the reader will get a healthy does of very upfront language. That works for some people and at some point in their journeys. I happened to be there. I don't think this book would have helped me five years ago.
I would say this book is more for helping someone reshape how they're thinking about therapy/problems. It's for someone who is ready to assess how they're handling what life is throwing at them and critically think through if they're effectively handling emotional issues (and if those issues really need to be "emotional" or what emotions really mean).
One potential criticism is that the author does not mince words. This is not for the faint of heart; the reader will get a healthy does of very upfront language. That works for some people and at some point in their journeys. I happened to be there. I don't think this book would have helped me five years ago.
I would say this book is more for helping someone reshape how they're thinking about therapy/problems. It's for someone who is ready to assess how they're handling what life is throwing at them and critically think through if they're effectively handling emotional issues (and if those issues really need to be "emotional" or what emotions really mean).
nickgoe's review against another edition
4.0
This did a good job of trying to show ways to take a step back and figure things out. There is a lot of useful advice for interpersonal relationships here.
bbckprpl's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed for CBR 10, plus I'm using it for my Backlog square for the CBR10 Bingo, since it's been sitting on my shelf since forever ago.
ashley_h12's review against another edition
It just felt like the same demoralizing stuff over and over. Some funny parts but not enough to keep me interested.
kmg365's review against another edition
3.0
I have a complicated relationship with self-help books. I get reeled in by a catchy title, then spend most of my reading time mocking the concepts. Imperfection is the natural state of humanity, and given the infinite variety and magnitude of those imperfections, who in the world thinks that 300 pages of text are going to change anything significantly?
This book sort of takes that as a given—not just about self-help books, but about actual therapy. By all means, go if it helps, it says, but it’s very expensive, not likely to be covered by insurance for very long, and… here’s the kicker… likely will not fix your problem. In fact, fixing the problem is probably impossible, and what you really need to do is learn to live with the problem, and minimize its impact on your daily life.
I’m a fan of practicality, so that message appeals to me. (Important note: the book isn’t focused on seeking treatment for mental illness. It’s talking about people who have a problem with a spouse, a boss, a child, etc. and turn to therapy to find a fix.)
I was particularly enamored of the chapter on job problems. A run of the mill self-help book would be mentioning conferences with your boss, or your boss’ boss, or the union steward, or trotting off to the EEOC… this one says (I paraphrase) keep your head down, your mouth shut, and do your work to the best of your ability. What a concept.
readbooks_eatapples's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty good read, but it's better as a reference. I picked it up from the library and read the first few chapters diligently. It slowed down pretty hard after that, as it was repetitive and while interesting, mostly not relevant to me. The concepts are good: basically, suck it up and don't pretend you're meant to have a perfect life and that everyone around you should be perfect because POTENTIAL.
We as humans are messed up, and we have evolved to make stupid choices and to hit 20% of our overall potential due to personal limitations or our environment. And that's really okay. This book has good advice for how to handle hardship, how to start to recover from making poor decisions, and how to deal when other people reveal they're not robots designed for perfection.
I didn't finish it, but I know I'll go back to it at some point. It's on my to-buy list.
We as humans are messed up, and we have evolved to make stupid choices and to hit 20% of our overall potential due to personal limitations or our environment. And that's really okay. This book has good advice for how to handle hardship, how to start to recover from making poor decisions, and how to deal when other people reveal they're not robots designed for perfection.
I didn't finish it, but I know I'll go back to it at some point. It's on my to-buy list.
riptidewritings's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
paigereitz's review against another edition
3.0
This book was funny, with a caustic wit and unapologetic tone. However; while enjoyable, I had a lot of struggles with some of the content. While some was good advice, I felt it was a little too hardline. Also, the book had a highly disparaging section about people with borderline personality disorder, which was irritating. Like anything, take what you like and leave the rest with this one.
krismoon's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated this book for a variety of reasons, mostly because of the cussing and Firefly references. The information is helpful if you're not looking to be a revolutionary and change the world. It's about accepting what you can't change and not being an asshole about it.
The book is a bit difficult to read straight through, as it covers a variety of topics, many of them not relevant to me at this time. But perhaps later I'll reference it when facing problems in the future.
The book is a bit difficult to read straight through, as it covers a variety of topics, many of them not relevant to me at this time. But perhaps later I'll reference it when facing problems in the future.