reb_bunny's reviews
61 reviews

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

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3.0

I didn't feel the author had a real love for humans. It seems the author thinks everyone thinks like them and perceives the world like them but some parts I was far from agreeing with and thought would be sad if someone was thinking that of me when I was trying to connect with them.

"As we sat down on the sofa, she remarked that she and her husband had recently returned from a trip to Africa. "Africa!" I exclaimed. "How interesting! I always wanted to see Africa, but I never got there except for a twenty-four-hour stay once in Algiers. Tell me, did you visit the big-game country? Yes? How fortunate I do envy you! Do tell me about Africa."
That was good for forty-five minutes. She never again asked me where I had been or what I had seen. She didn't want to hear me talk about my travels. All she wanted was an interested listener, so she could expand her ego and tell about where she had been. Was she unusual ? No. Many people are like that."

I think people sometimes want to connect and when they feel impacted by something, like a big travel to African countries, they might want to share the wonders they saw and the good experiences they had. I think this is part of the human experience wanting to connect and I don't think 45 mins is a big time to hear someone talk about something they love. I would gladly hear someone talk about an amazing experience for hours and would hope they would want to hear me too..

Another passage that left me thinking the author was lacking humanity in his perception of the world :

"The truth is that even our friends would far rather talk to us about their achievement than listen to us boast about ours."

If that's the way you think why even have friends ? I am honestly always happy to hear about my friends achievement and I feel best fulfilled when I feel the same energy from them. I also hope you don't think this is precisely his point because what I'm trying to say is that genuine interest from both side is much better and authentic than thinking this way.

I'm still giving stars to this book because there were some interesting parts to this book:

"By becoming interested in the cause, we are less likely to dislike the effect"
"Sympathy the human species universally craves. The child eagerly displays his injury; or even inflicts a cut or bruise in order to reap abundant sympathy. For the same purpose adults... Show their bruises, relate their accidents, illnesses, especially details of surgical operations. 'Self-pity' for misfortunes real or imaginary is, in some measure, practically a universal practice."

I do think these are interesting thoughts.


Conclusion : At the end of the day, this was a book published in 1998. Times have changed and the "client is always right" and tactics to sell have changed (which are a lot of the exemples). I don't see how this will help many as authenticity is not always recognized but the opposite traits are. I think we prefer honesty even if we should always treat people with empathy and understanding. I would not recommend this book for someone struggling socially and only read this to know what this book was about since a lot of people were talking about it. I'm still glad I read it because it helped develop some reflections.
On peut plus rien dire: le militantisme à l'ère des réseaux sociaux by Judith Lussier

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3.0

3.5 ⭐ Très informatif, j'ai aimé les divers exemples qui ont permis de mettre en contexte l'univers militant du Québec qui est très influencé par les médias sociaux et traditionnels. Je crois que ce livre devrait être dans une trousse de départ aux gens qui s'intéressent aux enjeux sociaux, autrement je me suis demandé plusieurs fois qui était le public cible de ce livre. Je ne sais pas si ça rejoindra les bonnes personnes mais on ne sait jamais.

Un autre point que je n'ai pas aimé c'est de mettre l'anti-spécisme dans la même catégorie que les enjeux touchant les êtres humains, puisque les critères sur lesquels ont perds des privilèges sont hors de notre contrôle. (Même si le combat devrait être pris au sérieux, bien sûr(
Pays hors service: Venezuela : De l'utopie au chaos by Paula Vásquez Lezama

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4.0

Paula Vásquez Lezama est très compétente sur son sujet. Le livre est riche en information, je crois que la lecture aurait été plus facile s'il était un peu plus aéré.

Elle lie ses expériences personnelles à ses recherches et aux personnes "sur le terrain". Le tout m'a réellement permis de mieux comprendre pourquoi le Venezuela en est à l'état où il est maintenant, du moins son état en 2019. Je serais intéressée d'ailleurs à avoir une suite portant sur la situation pendant et après la pandémie.

Le dernier chapitre a été particulièrement pertinent et je crois que je vais devoir le relire au complet pour m'assurer d'avoir tout bien saisi.
Mukbang by Fanie Demeule

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4.0

J'ai vraiment aimé lire ce livre ! Tellement original, j'adore le concept des codes QR bien que je les aurais utilisé avec parcimonie (comme vers la fin du livre). Les gif sont rapidement désuets et les liens Wikipédia aussi mais j'ai aimé les références des chansons ou vidéos viraux comme la chanson de gummie bear ou des creepy pasta.
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