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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book was more scattered than A.J.'s previous books, probably because it lacked the unifying theme of reading through the Encyclopedia Britannica or living according to the Bible or even improving his physical health. It was still certainly intriguing - and amusing watching him contort himself for our entertainment - but didn't seem to flow as well as the others.
A.J. describes himself straightforwardly as "addicted to these experiments" adding that as a writer he was "cursed with a relatively uneventful upbringing" and since "my ordinary life doesn't merit a book" he inserts himself into these sometimes ridiculous situations to "see what happens." You can call it "immersion" or "participatory journalism," but the key, A.J. claims, is to be "interested in the topic" and to "keep the good parts and not descend into insanity."
He explores the dangers of multi-tasking, the benefits of outsourcing, the perils and perqs of fame, and the vulnerability of nudity. He emulates George Washington for a month by adhering to his 110 "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and conversation," spending time with several professional George Washington interpreters. He poses as a woman - his nanny, actually, and with her permission - on an online dating site. And he spends a month responding to his wife's every whim. Which she totally deserved after all the other experiments she's put up with over the years.
His experiments also included a trial of "Radical Honesty" where you not only tell the absolute truth, but you also completely remove the filter between your brain and your mouth, saying everything you're thinking. While the constant confrontations Radical Honesty prompts can be cathartic, A.J. also admits that they are relentless. By the end of the month, he's decided to maintain what he calls "Sustainable Radical Honesty," particularly about his own flaws and mistakes and in relationships, while mostly ditching the aspects concerning other people's flaws. He also states "I've come to appreciate the filter between the brain and mouth. Words can be dangerous. Once they're out in the atmosphere, they can become self-fulfilling prophecies."
I was fascinated by the chapter on the brain's many biases against rationality. He starts out: "My brain is deeply flawed. And no offense, but so is yours. Your brain is not rational. It's packed with dozens of misleading biases. It's home to an alarming number of false assumptions and warped memories. It processes data all wrong and makes terrible decisions." Whew! Tell me how you really feel! But seriously, statements like "Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness" catch my attention. He highlights several of the most common biases, such as the Lake Wobegon Effect (where all the children are above average), the Availability Fallacy, Unit Bias, Source Amnesia, the Halo Effect, Confirmation Bias, the Mere Exposure Effect, and a half dozen others and then goes about consciously trying to work against them. He states in his conclusion that, outside of his year of living biblically, this month of "the Rationality Project has had the most dramatic, long-lasting effect of all my experiments." It certainly made me think about how I think, gather, and process information.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
A.J. describes himself straightforwardly as "addicted to these experiments" adding that as a writer he was "cursed with a relatively uneventful upbringing" and since "my ordinary life doesn't merit a book" he inserts himself into these sometimes ridiculous situations to "see what happens." You can call it "immersion" or "participatory journalism," but the key, A.J. claims, is to be "interested in the topic" and to "keep the good parts and not descend into insanity."
He explores the dangers of multi-tasking, the benefits of outsourcing, the perils and perqs of fame, and the vulnerability of nudity. He emulates George Washington for a month by adhering to his 110 "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and conversation," spending time with several professional George Washington interpreters. He poses as a woman - his nanny, actually, and with her permission - on an online dating site. And he spends a month responding to his wife's every whim. Which she totally deserved after all the other experiments she's put up with over the years.
His experiments also included a trial of "Radical Honesty" where you not only tell the absolute truth, but you also completely remove the filter between your brain and your mouth, saying everything you're thinking. While the constant confrontations Radical Honesty prompts can be cathartic, A.J. also admits that they are relentless. By the end of the month, he's decided to maintain what he calls "Sustainable Radical Honesty," particularly about his own flaws and mistakes and in relationships, while mostly ditching the aspects concerning other people's flaws. He also states "I've come to appreciate the filter between the brain and mouth. Words can be dangerous. Once they're out in the atmosphere, they can become self-fulfilling prophecies."
I was fascinated by the chapter on the brain's many biases against rationality. He starts out: "My brain is deeply flawed. And no offense, but so is yours. Your brain is not rational. It's packed with dozens of misleading biases. It's home to an alarming number of false assumptions and warped memories. It processes data all wrong and makes terrible decisions." Whew! Tell me how you really feel! But seriously, statements like "Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness" catch my attention. He highlights several of the most common biases, such as the Lake Wobegon Effect (where all the children are above average), the Availability Fallacy, Unit Bias, Source Amnesia, the Halo Effect, Confirmation Bias, the Mere Exposure Effect, and a half dozen others and then goes about consciously trying to work against them. He states in his conclusion that, outside of his year of living biblically, this month of "the Rationality Project has had the most dramatic, long-lasting effect of all my experiments." It certainly made me think about how I think, gather, and process information.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could. As usual, Jacobs is entertaining in his goofiness and willingness to subject himself to odd and at times humiliating experiments. While certainly an amusing read, this book lacked a bit of the power that The Year of Living Biblically had.
Funny. Better than The Year of Living Biblically, but not as good as his Reading the Encyclopedia.
On wishlist because I read The Year of Living Biblically.
I quite enjoyed this book. Little snippets of experiments rather than the year long Bible experiment. I especially liked the outsourcing your life, and intriguing idea - there are many things i think I might like to outsource, and hmmmmm, maybe Your Man in India could help. It proved again that Julie is a saint, and definitely deserved her month...and the month of foot rubs sounds good too.
I quite enjoyed this book. Little snippets of experiments rather than the year long Bible experiment. I especially liked the outsourcing your life, and intriguing idea - there are many things i think I might like to outsource, and hmmmmm, maybe Your Man in India could help. It proved again that Julie is a saint, and definitely deserved her month...and the month of foot rubs sounds good too.
I seriously loved Jacobs' first two books. That being said, this one just didn't do it for me in the same way. Whereas with the first two, I would laugh out loud while reading, this one just got a few mild chuckles from me. It feels that perhaps he has gone to the well too many times with his gimmick of trying out extreme lifestyles. I really would recommend others pick up the other two books instead of this one.
Read it in 2 days (could have read it in one). Fun to read as usual.
I've enjoyed some of AJ Jacobs' previous books (Year of Living Biblically and The Know It All) and I was anxious to pick up this one.
This book is different from those two in that it isn't one long story - each chapter is a different experiment. This has both benefits and drawbacks. I will admit that AJ's previous two books did drag on a bit at the end as the singular story just kept going. But at the same time, AJ got to go in-depth with the story and you got to see the full picture of what he was doing to himself.
In The Guinea Pig Diaries, each chapter is over quickly, for better or worse. AJ's "life as an attractive woman" and "outsourcing my life" chapters, were both outstanding. The outsourcing chapter was particularly hysterical. The "rationalization" chapter wasn't quite as thrilling but it was still interesting. Ditto for the "posing nude" chapter.
The "subservient husband" chapter was amusing but seemed to drag on a bit.
Overall, if you're looking for a way to get started with AJ Jacobs, I'd start with The Know It All over this book. But if you're already a fan, this one won't disappoint your need for more AJ.
This book is different from those two in that it isn't one long story - each chapter is a different experiment. This has both benefits and drawbacks. I will admit that AJ's previous two books did drag on a bit at the end as the singular story just kept going. But at the same time, AJ got to go in-depth with the story and you got to see the full picture of what he was doing to himself.
In The Guinea Pig Diaries, each chapter is over quickly, for better or worse. AJ's "life as an attractive woman" and "outsourcing my life" chapters, were both outstanding. The outsourcing chapter was particularly hysterical. The "rationalization" chapter wasn't quite as thrilling but it was still interesting. Ditto for the "posing nude" chapter.
The "subservient husband" chapter was amusing but seemed to drag on a bit.
Overall, if you're looking for a way to get started with AJ Jacobs, I'd start with The Know It All over this book. But if you're already a fan, this one won't disappoint your need for more AJ.
3.5 stars
A series of essays/articles about trying various lifestyle theories for a month at a time. Probably quite entertaining singly in a magazine, but it became rather dull.
A series of essays/articles about trying various lifestyle theories for a month at a time. Probably quite entertaining singly in a magazine, but it became rather dull.
A.J. Jacobs' writing always gets on my nerves after a while, but I still enjoy his crazy stunts and how he makes sense of the results. Admittedly skipped around in this book, but the overally idea was intriguing.
Being taken into the world of A.J. Jacobs is like drinking a highly caffeinated, grande mochaccino latte that has been laced with arsenic and has the potential to explode. As the reader I felt like a) I envy his capacity to talk to all the authors and interesting people, b) he needs help and c) Julie his wife isn't a Saint, more like she is the most patient spouse a writer could ask for. I really loved this book. I was said at the end, knowing my days would no longer be filled with five minutes of actual humour, new experiences and random trivia that Jacobs packs into every chapter. After reading, I found the endnotes, which include lists of various things included in the chapters, particularly the George Washington one and the Project Rationality one. I was hesitant about reading this book, worried that it was going to be boring, make me paranoid or leave me wanting more.
After reading, I was left wanting more, but in the sense that I wanted to devour "The Year Of Living Biblically" and "the Know-It-All" immediately, instead of later...
I reccomend this to anyone who is bored of stuffy memoirs, has an interest in life, people, history or being an introvert, or enjoys a little bit of self-evaluation after reading a book.
After reading, I was left wanting more, but in the sense that I wanted to devour "The Year Of Living Biblically" and "the Know-It-All" immediately, instead of later...
I reccomend this to anyone who is bored of stuffy memoirs, has an interest in life, people, history or being an introvert, or enjoys a little bit of self-evaluation after reading a book.