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challenging
reflective
medium-paced
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Arg, it's really difficult for me to rate this.
This isn't a "book" in my opinion. It's more of a collection of essays, "blog posts" and articles you'd see on HuffPo (or perhaps NPR).
There are some parts of the 'book' that were well researched, provided excellent points and I thought to myself "oh wow" and "I'm going to have to read this again!!!" Then there were other parts that I was like "WHAT IS THIS?" and "WHY IS THIS HERE?"
The writing also oscillated between deplorable to somewhat academic.
There are times where it reads like a polished, academic book but more often it is ranty with slang like "Cray cray" and vulgar examples that Manson seems to slip in for shock value except it doesn't work.
Manson is also a terrible narrator. His voice isn't just bleh, but he can't even seem to properly read his own writing--he can't deliver his own jokes and punchlines. It comes out awkward and unnatural-- making his "cray cray" and other slang even more distracting.
I also kept having a revolving thought, "DAMN THIS IS SOME RICH WHITE MALE PRIVILEGE & MANSPLAINING" not that the subjects he approached where "white male privilege shit" (though there is some of that) but that he seems to overlook privilege quite a bit.
Yet there were some parts of the book that I thought were excellent, though most of them were rehashing from other outstanding books I've read such as [b:Thinking, Fast and Slow|11468377|Thinking, Fast and Slow|Daniel Kahneman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317793965l/11468377._SX50_.jpg|16402639], Ryan Holiday/Stoicism, [b:Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress|35696171|Enlightenment Now The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress|Steven Pinker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502223499l/35696171._SY75_.jpg|57185511] or anything by Pinkner, [b:Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard|6570502|Switch How to Change Things When Change Is Hard|Chip Heath|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422839688l/6570502._SY75_.jpg|6763564] or anything by Chip & Dan Heath, plus Nietzsche & Plato. His last bit on AI was interesting, though I suspect that was parlayed from somewhere/someone else.
(UPDATE after more thought and discussion, this isn't a 3-star, it's a 2-star)
This isn't a "book" in my opinion. It's more of a collection of essays, "blog posts" and articles you'd see on HuffPo (or perhaps NPR).
There are some parts of the 'book' that were well researched, provided excellent points and I thought to myself "oh wow" and "I'm going to have to read this again!!!" Then there were other parts that I was like "WHAT IS THIS?" and "WHY IS THIS HERE?"
The writing also oscillated between deplorable to somewhat academic.
There are times where it reads like a polished, academic book but more often it is ranty with slang like "Cray cray" and vulgar examples that Manson seems to slip in for shock value except it doesn't work.
Manson is also a terrible narrator. His voice isn't just bleh, but he can't even seem to properly read his own writing--he can't deliver his own jokes and punchlines. It comes out awkward and unnatural-- making his "cray cray" and other slang even more distracting.
I also kept having a revolving thought, "DAMN THIS IS SOME RICH WHITE MALE PRIVILEGE & MANSPLAINING" not that the subjects he approached where "white male privilege shit" (though there is some of that) but that he seems to overlook privilege quite a bit.
Yet there were some parts of the book that I thought were excellent, though most of them were rehashing from other outstanding books I've read such as [b:Thinking, Fast and Slow|11468377|Thinking, Fast and Slow|Daniel Kahneman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317793965l/11468377._SX50_.jpg|16402639], Ryan Holiday/Stoicism, [b:Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress|35696171|Enlightenment Now The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress|Steven Pinker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502223499l/35696171._SY75_.jpg|57185511] or anything by Pinkner, [b:Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard|6570502|Switch How to Change Things When Change Is Hard|Chip Heath|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422839688l/6570502._SY75_.jpg|6763564] or anything by Chip & Dan Heath, plus Nietzsche & Plato. His last bit on AI was interesting, though I suspect that was parlayed from somewhere/someone else.
(UPDATE after more thought and discussion, this isn't a 3-star, it's a 2-star)
Honestly, kind of depressing but also a good wake up call for self regulation and valuing emotions and illogic equally.
Good overview on moral philosophy, yet fails in the end.
This book is not my normal cup of tea - I don't care for "profanities" etc. But I did get a lot of value from this book. In order to grow you have to expand beyond what your preferences are and I appreciated the way this book made me question myself, my existence and what I think / feel. It was a well-timed reminder that its important to reflect regularly on your values and priorities and make sure the choices you are making in life reflect that.
The author is fun, wit and it's an enjoyable read.
But forget the title or the subtitle. They were probably created by the marketing department to profit from the author's previous success.
The content is actually some books reviews. You will have a glimpse of Newton, Nietzsche, and Kant biography mixed with five or six of the latest self-help books in no particular order.
If you liked his first book, you might also find this one fun.
But forget the title or the subtitle. They were probably created by the marketing department to profit from the author's previous success.
The content is actually some books reviews. You will have a glimpse of Newton, Nietzsche, and Kant biography mixed with five or six of the latest self-help books in no particular order.
If you liked his first book, you might also find this one fun.
I struggled with rating this book. For me, the writing style and tone was difficult.
There are some interesting parts to the book.
There are some interesting parts to the book.
Mark Manson combines talking like real people of my generation (and his, as he's a bit younger than me) talk with a depth and breadth of philosophical and psychological reflection that, in the current moment, is quite rare. I'm never quite sure how much confidence to put in the details of his analysis and his conclusions, but it to say his books are thought provoking is an understatement. They're also entertaining in an uncommon way.
Manson gets into a great many things here, but a lot of his thought is based on his--in my opinion, quite good--take on Nietzsche and what's useful in his thought. Having some experience wrangling with that question, it was at that point in the book that my ears pricked up and I started to take things more seriously.
Ultimately, Manson summarizes and synthesizes many things here. And it probably takes a thinker more knowledgeable than me to sort them all out. But it's certainly a book worth reading. And it's probably one worth rereading, discussing, and thinking about.
Manson gets into a great many things here, but a lot of his thought is based on his--in my opinion, quite good--take on Nietzsche and what's useful in his thought. Having some experience wrangling with that question, it was at that point in the book that my ears pricked up and I started to take things more seriously.
Ultimately, Manson summarizes and synthesizes many things here. And it probably takes a thinker more knowledgeable than me to sort them all out. But it's certainly a book worth reading. And it's probably one worth rereading, discussing, and thinking about.
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced