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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Spoiler
In spoilers because it's not a proper review, just notes I made while reading.--pg. 47: render your children competent, not protected
--pg. 90-1: some good questions to ask myself
--pg. 104: beautiful prose on the Bible, and what follows (pg. 104-7) is fascinating, too
--pg. 201: beautiful description of exactly what I think
--pg. 205: exercise for growth: pay attention to things I say, watch for lies
--pg. 224: internal feeling when lying! even when you don't realize you're lying! I get this!
--pg. 246: when arguing, restate and summarize opponent's thoughts
--pg. 248: how to have interesting conversations
--pg. 250: men fixing things issue
--pg. 276: defining your wants means if you DON'T get it, the hurt is greater (thus not doing it)
--Ch. 10: what I LOVE, and am always looking to do
--pg. 358: his "pen of light" is exactly like my best experience praying
Definitely some thought-provoking things in here. I learned a few things and the book generated a good deal of reflection. I'm not so keen on some of the logic derived from philosophy or religious writing which is presented as "a certain conclusion" from a particular piece of writing. I think it would be fairer to say that it's the author's chosen interpretation - others may disagree.
He's most off base (in my view) on the areas on gender-balance. Coming down fairly heavily on the side of "biology does drive a difference" and while not arguing for a male-dominated society he argues we may be over-rotating with attacks on the "the patriarchy"
He's most off base (in my view) on the areas on gender-balance. Coming down fairly heavily on the side of "biology does drive a difference" and while not arguing for a male-dominated society he argues we may be over-rotating with attacks on the "the patriarchy"
2.5 stars. Whilst Jordan is great to watch on the tube, this book is over-long and annoying to read.
Much background material is referenced while he talks around a point. This is often biblical and that is largely where he started to lose me. Bible stories don't have much resonance for me, but regardless of that, I didn't quite understand why they were necessary to make a point either. There are other canonical references too, which I also struggled to relate to.
I stopped reading the book about 90% of the way through as it was neither enriching nor entertaining to me. He's got a ton of knowledge and experience that I want to hear but this was tedious.
I've been avoiding watching YouTube videos of Jordan as I didn't want to spoil the contents of the book but can happily go back to them now.
If you've seen some of this guy's videos and are considering the book, I would say stick to the vids. He comes across much more effectively there.
Much background material is referenced while he talks around a point. This is often biblical and that is largely where he started to lose me. Bible stories don't have much resonance for me, but regardless of that, I didn't quite understand why they were necessary to make a point either. There are other canonical references too, which I also struggled to relate to.
I stopped reading the book about 90% of the way through as it was neither enriching nor entertaining to me. He's got a ton of knowledge and experience that I want to hear but this was tedious.
I've been avoiding watching YouTube videos of Jordan as I didn't want to spoil the contents of the book but can happily go back to them now.
If you've seen some of this guy's videos and are considering the book, I would say stick to the vids. He comes across much more effectively there.
A good introduction to the big set of concepts Jordan Peterson brings to the world. Start by cleaning up your internals before you try tackling bigger endeavours.
Peterson can be enthusing, inspiring, invigorating and insightful...and occasionally infuriating. Very much a 'Marmite person', he's always challenging and forcing you into think hard about what resonates or what bugs you about his narrative. Whether it be homespun truisms or something more abstract, his allegories have relevance and agency. This book confronts hard truths and seeks responses to important questions, requiring careful marshalling of thoughts and meticulous attention to points of agreement or divergence. And thinking though why you think differently and disagree, or why you are entirely comfortable with his blunt, sometimes harsh, expositions - well, that's one of the joys of the book.
It seems like most of the top reviews on here are 5 stars or 1 star based on political leanings and personal feelings towards Jordan Peterson. I don't know much about him aside from seeing him in clips from time to time and that he is beloved by many and loathed by many. Regardless of this, his book is very good. He excels at telling stories to bring meaning to his philosophical leanings and brings intense emotion to his work. He even cries at times in his narration of the audiobook (some will like this, some will find it distracting). This isn't really a self-help book either, which is partly why I liked it. It is psychology, philosophy and social commentary mostly which suits me more.
Most interesting about the book is how heavily it leans on the Bible. I have never read a book from an author who seemed to admire Christianity so heavily and not believe in it. His thoughts on scripture are made even more interesting because of this. It's a thoroughly unique perspective and I think it works unless one is so anti-Christianity they can't accept the wisdom of the Bible, be it true or not.
Most interesting about the book is how heavily it leans on the Bible. I have never read a book from an author who seemed to admire Christianity so heavily and not believe in it. His thoughts on scripture are made even more interesting because of this. It's a thoroughly unique perspective and I think it works unless one is so anti-Christianity they can't accept the wisdom of the Bible, be it true or not.
Although - clearly - not a book for everyone, it is both surprising and impassioned (I listened to the audiobook, which probably heightened the effect). Some (if not many) may find his frequent citation of (primarily) biblical texts offputting, but - or so it seems to be - he tries to use them not as a man of religion but as exemplars of the ancient human tradition, as offering an as-near-as-possible 'rule of thumb' for human choices and action. And, in that, I think it's a valiant attempt relatively successfully executed. Though, as I say, not everyone will either like it, or appreciate it.
Lots of mixed reviews on here. I'm firmly in the middle. Lots of useful advice in the book, but I didn't like some of the preaching tone - I'll give a few specific examples:
1. Boys vs. girls - and letting men be men. While I agreed with the principle of what the author was saying, I felt he was preaching a bit too much.
2. His views on socialism came out a few times - and was very condescending.
Some people have talked about him using blibical stories - I felt he drew on ancient wisdoms in the bible/Torah without preaching too much.
The 12 rules are useful, practical and will definitely make a difference in my life. But the tone of the author made it hard to swallow.
My (very humble) opinion.
1. Boys vs. girls - and letting men be men. While I agreed with the principle of what the author was saying, I felt he was preaching a bit too much.
2. His views on socialism came out a few times - and was very condescending.
Some people have talked about him using blibical stories - I felt he drew on ancient wisdoms in the bible/Torah without preaching too much.
The 12 rules are useful, practical and will definitely make a difference in my life. But the tone of the author made it hard to swallow.
My (very humble) opinion.
There were good aspects to this book, and some very thoughtful discussions. The majority of it, though, was pretentious blather. Sorry - I don’t like to make outlandish or unnecessarily critical statements - but this book was simply bad. The chapters were like meandering, purposefully convoluted stream-of-consciousness tirades often bolstering political or religious agendas. The arguments didn’t connect logically and most assertions were based on little or no evidence. The writer did not attempt to mask his biases, for which I actually give him credit. Still, I am giving two stars rather than one because there were a few chapters (or at least particular portions of them) that had a lot of meaning despite the writing and argument style. I wanted to quit reading this book so badly (it took me two years to finally finish it) but I kept pushing myself through it because it did often improve my way of thinking about life, relationships, and things in between.
Jordan B Peterson is a member of the so called "dark internet" crowd; independent, rational thinkers, not afraid to call out extremists on either side. Peterson is especially vocal in criticizing the far left who deny that there are any biological differences between men and women, for example. His rules are good ones, although the great depth he goes to to explain their philosophical and even biblical underpinnings gets a little tiresome. He is at his best when he explains how failing to be truthful and to address problems head on can lead to difficulties in relationships we have with our loved ones and the rest of world. Overall, worthwhile; a good challenge to my liberal pieties and reflex agreement with all that is "politically correct."