Scan barcode
trnolan's review
5.0
So freaking good. Kreider's voice shines through in even the most bland essays. He has a way with metaphor that cuts straight to the bone. Like who comes up with a soul-toupee? Favorite essay is Lazy: A Manifesto but also adore Sister World. Some of the essays land flat and are a little hyper-specific. The collection isn't arranged in some overarching theme that ties together nicely. And some of the cartoons can cross the line into childish and petty. But by the end of it you feel as if you understand what it's like to live in the author's head. That is a worthy accomplishment and a humorous one when that head is as ridiculous yet poignant as Kreiders.
ybenhayun's review
5.0
Life is too short to be busy, but just long enough to read this wonderfully insightful book.
sarurtz's review
4.0
Tim Kreider really surrenders to the mortifying ordeal of being known here, and by that I mean he is excruciatingly honest. It's not that Kreider doesn't care what you think of him (his personal narratives, though exposing, are well-curated), but more that he is so confident in his takes that it feels at times appalling. Like I overheard something I shouldn't, but it's Not Really My Fault Because He Was Honestly Kind Of Yelling. He also types Like This sometimes which makes me feel seen. I digress.
The writing is great. Other reviewers are correct in likening it to sitting on a barstool having your well-meaning guy friend give you life advice in between cracking jokes. However, his personal stories, of which there were only reeeally two that revealed much of anything, vastly out-performed the other essays and are carrying this review. He spends a lot of time couching his learnings in other peoples' lived experiences in a way that feels at times a little exploitative-- but perhaps this is just me (aspiring essayist) projecting my own fears about using the ones I love for content, even if they've taught me an immeasurable amount. In fact, Kreider doesn't just rely on the ones he loves. Those were perhaps the kindest essays, but the stories concerning people who are no longer in his life are far less forgiving. It's not that I disliked these essays or thought his takes were bad, but I found myself screaming for more stories that yielded something of him, and less analysis of his Friend Who Kind Of Sucked. Hoping for more interiority is what got me to the end, and I was rewarded.
Ironically, in perhaps his most personal essay, he writes at one point, "This is not wholly my own story to tell, so I'll suffice it to say...", a courtesy he does not seem to grant to others in his essays whose stories have even less to do with him.
I wish I owned a paper copy of this book because I honestly highlighted the crap out of it.
The writing is great. Other reviewers are correct in likening it to sitting on a barstool having your well-meaning guy friend give you life advice in between cracking jokes. However, his personal stories, of which there were only reeeally two that revealed much of anything, vastly out-performed the other essays and are carrying this review. He spends a lot of time couching his learnings in other peoples' lived experiences in a way that feels at times a little exploitative-- but perhaps this is just me (aspiring essayist) projecting my own fears about using the ones I love for content, even if they've taught me an immeasurable amount. In fact, Kreider doesn't just rely on the ones he loves. Those were perhaps the kindest essays, but the stories concerning people who are no longer in his life are far less forgiving. It's not that I disliked these essays or thought his takes were bad, but I found myself screaming for more stories that yielded something of him, and less analysis of his Friend Who Kind Of Sucked. Hoping for more interiority is what got me to the end, and I was rewarded.
Ironically, in perhaps his most personal essay, he writes at one point, "This is not wholly my own story to tell, so I'll suffice it to say...", a courtesy he does not seem to grant to others in his essays whose stories have even less to do with him.
I wish I owned a paper copy of this book because I honestly highlighted the crap out of it.
maryhawkins's review against another edition
I picked this up in my local Little Free Library and read a few of the essays. just for variety’s sake Not totally my thing, but the ones I did read were funny enough and well-written. I’d read something newer by the same author.
friedeggnes's review
5.0
It's hard to write a review for a book that's a little bit of everything. We Learn Nothing is about so many things - it's about relationships and friendships, it's about being an adult and not quite feeling like an adult, it's about being a little different but it's also about being the same as everyone else, it's about politics and gender identity, it's about every little thing that comes together to make life "life". I find myself a little less alone in the world after reading this. In a way, the series of essays is like a good friend who you can tell just *knows* you from the way you make eye contact. In a way, the series of essays is like the very act of making eye contact.
kirsten0929's review against another edition
4.0
Smart, snarky, funny, insightful. I picked this up after reading his essay “The Busy Trap” in the NY Times. I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy any book of essays that included one that started out, “If you live in America in the 21st century you've probably had to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they're doing: "Busy!" "So busy." "Crazy busy."" The other essays didn't disappoint either. He taps into those annoying, embarrassing, mysterious (and so on) things that we humans do, using humor to make us feel a little better about them.
jennbliven's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended by Tim Ferris. Not as funny as I thought it would be.