A review by beckydr
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Amelia Nagoski, Emily Nagoski

1.0

I tend to find the sort of review I'm about to write attention-seeking and reeking of 'I'm not like other girls'. Unfortunately, this book does not apply to me, and I figured that this review, wanky as it may be, might help you decide if it is for you.

Recommended by a dear friend who thought it might be of help to me (a person who routinely suffers from major burnout) I was determined to give it a fair go. However, it failed to move me in the first half and I don't think I will make it to the second. I didn't feel that the proposed societal pressures on how to look and what kind of woman I ought to be really translated to my life, and I found the suggestion of 'human giver syndrome' somewhat obvious and reductive. Overwhelmingly, I didn't find much actionable advice.

I generally work 10-14 hour days, and this year I have really pushed it. I love my job and that keeps me going, but right now I'm a bit burned out. Listening to a chapter about how the 'bikini industry' is lying to women, I decided to give this book a rest. There's a large amount of pop feminism interspersed with basic self-help stress management, and for me, I think I would have found a less targeted book less irritating. I am a feminist myself, but I find the sort of rhetoric found here very 2015, basic, and unhelpful.