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Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
32 reviews
clavishorti's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
When delving into the opening pages of James Clear’s Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the choice of a simple yet highly effective writing style. The language employed is not just a means of communication; its simplicity serves as a unique allure, enabling readers to easily grasp each concept presented by the author.
With high expectations, I ventured further into the pages of this book, hoping for the revelation of profound and original ideas. Unfortunately, this literary journey did not entirely fulfill the lofty expectations I carried. While the book presents a series of principles and ideas relevant to habit formation, there is a tendency for the author to rely on concepts and research from external sources, providing more of a sense of amalgamation than creation. I yearned for a more distinct voice from the author himself. I found myself wanting a deeper connection to James Clear’s own insights and perspectives rather than a predominant reliance on external findings. This absence of a more personal touch left a void in the narrative, impacting the overall resonance of the book.
A notable aspect that stands out is the repetition of messages, which, while intended to ensure reader understanding, sometimes gives rise to monotony. On several occasions, I found myself having to reread pages to ensure comprehensive understanding. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that the book also introduces positive elements that add value. Each chapter is accompanied by a summary that provides focus and facilitates reflection, adding a structural dimension that I appreciate. However, as I reached the conclusion, disappointment resurfaced. The ending felt somewhat inadequate, leaving me with a desire for a more thorough understanding or a stronger conclusion.
Although this book may not entirely meet my expectations, I acknowledge that every reader has a unique and subjective experience with a work. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones may not be the perfect answer for everyone, but as a piece of literature paving the way for positive change, it offers inspiration and fundamental considerations that are valuable.
With high expectations, I ventured further into the pages of this book, hoping for the revelation of profound and original ideas. Unfortunately, this literary journey did not entirely fulfill the lofty expectations I carried. While the book presents a series of principles and ideas relevant to habit formation, there is a tendency for the author to rely on concepts and research from external sources, providing more of a sense of amalgamation than creation. I yearned for a more distinct voice from the author himself. I found myself wanting a deeper connection to James Clear’s own insights and perspectives rather than a predominant reliance on external findings. This absence of a more personal touch left a void in the narrative, impacting the overall resonance of the book.
A notable aspect that stands out is the repetition of messages, which, while intended to ensure reader understanding, sometimes gives rise to monotony. On several occasions, I found myself having to reread pages to ensure comprehensive understanding. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that the book also introduces positive elements that add value. Each chapter is accompanied by a summary that provides focus and facilitates reflection, adding a structural dimension that I appreciate. However, as I reached the conclusion, disappointment resurfaced. The ending felt somewhat inadequate, leaving me with a desire for a more thorough understanding or a stronger conclusion.
Although this book may not entirely meet my expectations, I acknowledge that every reader has a unique and subjective experience with a work. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones may not be the perfect answer for everyone, but as a piece of literature paving the way for positive change, it offers inspiration and fundamental considerations that are valuable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
ashleybeereads's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
michelle_bracher's review against another edition
I just couldn't with this book which is yet another self-help book that assumes everyone wants to either lose weight or bulk up at the gym. The amount of fat phobia, body shaming and food judgement in this book is shocking. Despite saying early on that people shouldn't be goal orientated, it seems every paragraph has a comment on losing weight or giving up 'junk food'. Clear's fat phobia became very explicit when he casually drops the line 'Getting in shape can help improve your health and your dating prospects' - excuse me?! He also bangs on a lot about weight and health despite the fact that you can't see someone's health from their size and that anorexia remains the most fatal mental health disorder. The author needs to do some serious reading about Health at Every Size (HAES) and start looking at his own lazy sterotyping before he starts preaching to others about their habits.
Clear is also guilty of severely cherry picking his anecdotes, claiming in one that the British cycling team started winning more after their new coach started implementing better sleep routines, training equipment, and outfits and neatly overlooks the fact that around the same time British cycling got a huge monetary injection from the British government allowing them to afford all those things for the first time.
Clear is not a doctor, a dietician, a nutritionalist or a psychologist - he is a blogger who has managed to cobble together enough articles for a book.
Clear is also guilty of severely cherry picking his anecdotes, claiming in one that the British cycling team started winning more after their new coach started implementing better sleep routines, training equipment, and outfits and neatly overlooks the fact that around the same time British cycling got a huge monetary injection from the British government allowing them to afford all those things for the first time.
Clear is not a doctor, a dietician, a nutritionalist or a psychologist - he is a blogger who has managed to cobble together enough articles for a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
anafuentes's review against another edition
had some good tidbits and was enjoying it for a while but then i got tired of reading about being productive instead of fun fiction. may pick it up later though as i only rented this for a few days from my library. also was a bit uncomfortable with the diet culture stuff when i’m trying to get past that mentality. i get it was examples but there was a bit of misinformation even within the examples.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
audreyxine's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.0
This book gave amazing and simple advice. It is definitely going to make a change in my life and many others' as well. I especially loved the bit about changing the environment and approaching habits with a nonjudgmental attitude. I think these are great ideas and I'm very hopeful after reading this. I do have a couple nitpicky thoughts though:
You can tell the author is an athlete. There are lots of sports metaphors and references to losing weight. I was not a fan of how losing weight and restricting calories were always referred to as positive goals- it can be reductive and harmful to do this. While the simplicity of this book is a big strength, the world is not always so black and white.
You can tell the author is an athlete. There are lots of sports metaphors and references to losing weight. I was not a fan of how losing weight and restricting calories were always referred to as positive goals- it can be reductive and harmful to do this. While the simplicity of this book is a big strength, the world is not always so black and white.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
cbalparda802's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
hannahlh's review against another edition
Unable, at the moment, to get past Clear’s rather pernicious habit of falling back on on intentional weight loss, rather than a more inclusive interpretation of health, in his examples.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
jessicafacchinigould's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Classism
karolinaz's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
abbeysus's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Mental illness