Scan barcode
lo_a's review against another edition
4.0
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit”
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) Greek Philosopher
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) Greek Philosopher
jiujensu's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I had been waiting to read this for some time because I liked their idea of taking 12 topics in self-help, wellness or optimization and experimenting with them each month for a year. There are obvious problems with the "experiment," but the goal clearly isn't science. It's more of an absurd approach to a search for meaning. Or as one of their colleagues said, how to have a midlife crisis. And it's funny.
I enjoyed this ridiculous book as much as I'd hoped. If you're annoyed with self-help and productivity obsessions, I think you'll like it. Though, the morality chapter is off the rails. It thoroughly annoyed me. Kant and Utilitarianism, making others pay for your meal so you can give to charity. Lol. No.
At various intervals, I wondered what the point was of their weird year. André said it well: "Had it been nothing more than Jackass meets self-help?" But I think despite that, they do end up analyzing their experience and coming up with valuable conclusions (eventually) on self-help, friendship, themselves and society.
I enjoyed this ridiculous book as much as I'd hoped. If you're annoyed with self-help and productivity obsessions, I think you'll like it. Though, the morality chapter is off the rails. It thoroughly annoyed me. Kant and Utilitarianism, making others pay for your meal so you can give to charity. Lol. No.
At various intervals, I wondered what the point was of their weird year. André said it well: "Had it been nothing more than Jackass meets self-help?" But I think despite that, they do end up analyzing their experience and coming up with valuable conclusions (eventually) on self-help, friendship, themselves and society.
hungeberg's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
samboymebob's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
orangejenny's review against another edition
2.0
This was a frantic mess. Surprising, coming from the authors of [b:The Wellness Syndrome|23048677|The Wellness Syndrome|Carl Cederstrom|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421850089l/23048677._SY75_.jpg|42611224].
purplemuskogee's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Very enjoyable book. I liked the tone - quite informal- and the relationship of the two writers as they went into the challenge of using self-help - having previously studied it academically - to tackle one area of their lives every month. It was clever and funny.
anngarth8's review
2.0
Disjointed and piecemeal -- I understand that the point of the book was to explore how disjointed the modern self-improvement movement is, but that idea alone is not enough to carry the whole book. Worse, the authors seemed to have few redeeming qualities; not only did I not feel that I knew them by the end of the book, I didn't like them or care about them.
More...