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2.99 AVERAGE
2.99 AVERAGE
This book goes about what you might think a book called "ASSHOLES" as written by a Harvard-educated professor of philosophy might go.
I did appreciate all the research and detail, but there is some padding and repetition here.
As the book was written ten years ago, DJT is only mentioned; today, you could have a whole chapter (nay, book!) just about him.
I did appreciate all the research and detail, but there is some padding and repetition here.
As the book was written ten years ago, DJT is only mentioned; today, you could have a whole chapter (nay, book!) just about him.
I just couldn't finish it. It was funny and smart, but it couldn't hold my attention.
slow-paced
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Classism
It was not what I expected. Though it seemed at first to contain a bit of satire, it was a serious self-refective work on what (*in Theory) makes our definitions of behavior important.
It was really well done book, and a good read. Definitely recommend.
I do wonder how it would be received when translated into a none European language though.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
"Assholes are a given fact of life [...] If humanity had a body, it would have an asshole."
I don't know what I expected from a Harvard professor, but this book was far more scholarly than I expected. There were lots of politics and economics. LOTS of economics, which gave me flashbacks to one of my least favorite college classes - maybe if my professor had included lessons on asshole economy, maybe I would have understood things better!
My favorite sections focused on asshole nature and asshole management. I also enjoyed exploring different types of assholes like the cable news asshole and the delusional asshole.
For a book, it was a bit dry, but for a thesis, it had style!! And, I mean, that was James' angle with the study.
I don't know what I expected from a Harvard professor, but this book was far more scholarly than I expected. There were lots of politics and economics. LOTS of economics, which gave me flashbacks to one of my least favorite college classes - maybe if my professor had included lessons on asshole economy, maybe I would have understood things better!
My favorite sections focused on asshole nature and asshole management. I also enjoyed exploring different types of assholes like the cable news asshole and the delusional asshole.
For a book, it was a bit dry, but for a thesis, it had style!! And, I mean, that was James' angle with the study.
Sufficient and slightly informative enough to be an academic research article, NOT an entire book. What a snooze-fest. It definitely comes across that James is a philosopher. But "quite funny" as the synopsis suggest he is most definitely not.
I think I may have found the book dry if I'd tried to read it, but I listened to the audiobook for this, and I found it really entertaining.
Read the first chapter or two then don't bother with the rest.
This book didn't go into anything I didn't already know. It was ok but not what I thought it was going to be.
I stopped reading this book on page 52 when the author describes "the quite welcome 'shit' or SOB ('shits on boards'), who goes for the decisive objection, who can't hide a strong opinion, and who might have just hurt someone's feelings but, all told, helps the group meet its goals." That person is not welcome in my universe.
The material was interesting, but I kept having this creeping feeling of discomfort with the book--which really solidified around this point, after a long description of how it was too bad Obama couldn't muster up the capacity to be an asshole (48) and that for Newt Gingrich, "[e]ven his having an affair while his wife was in the hospital with cancer . . . wouldn't necessarily put him in the asshole camp; he could just lack self control (49). I know the author is not saying you have to be an asshole to be an effective leader, and I understand the nuance of the position he's describing here about Obama and progressive unhappiness with the early part of his presidency--but the sense I kept having was some valorization of the asshole and when I hit the phrase "quite welcome"--well, that was it. And yes, in my book, having an affair while your wife is in the hospital DOES make you an asshole. Chalking it up to lack of self control is kinda assholey itself.
I read my husband part of the description of a musician who the author says falls into the boorish asshole category, and he said, well, it's one thing to be an asshole with no sense of humor, but at least this guy's a funny asshole. But you know what? That makes it worse for me. Attacks on other people are not funny. And I'm not willing to buy even the presumption that being an asshole might be ok (which again I should say, the author does not claim). What I know is this book made me angry, and I don't think our theories of assholes match up.
I've spent enough time in the company of assholes for now, thanks.
The material was interesting, but I kept having this creeping feeling of discomfort with the book--which really solidified around this point, after a long description of how it was too bad Obama couldn't muster up the capacity to be an asshole (48) and that for Newt Gingrich, "[e]ven his having an affair while his wife was in the hospital with cancer . . . wouldn't necessarily put him in the asshole camp; he could just lack self control (49). I know the author is not saying you have to be an asshole to be an effective leader, and I understand the nuance of the position he's describing here about Obama and progressive unhappiness with the early part of his presidency--but the sense I kept having was some valorization of the asshole and when I hit the phrase "quite welcome"--well, that was it. And yes, in my book, having an affair while your wife is in the hospital DOES make you an asshole. Chalking it up to lack of self control is kinda assholey itself.
I read my husband part of the description of a musician who the author says falls into the boorish asshole category, and he said, well, it's one thing to be an asshole with no sense of humor, but at least this guy's a funny asshole. But you know what? That makes it worse for me. Attacks on other people are not funny. And I'm not willing to buy even the presumption that being an asshole might be ok (which again I should say, the author does not claim). What I know is this book made me angry, and I don't think our theories of assholes match up.
I've spent enough time in the company of assholes for now, thanks.