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ladynovella 's review for:
The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level
by Chris Hardwick
(This is for the audiobook version)
I've read/looked over a lot of self-help books and most of them are that "rah rah be more awesome you can do it" sort of insanely perky and outgoing cheerleader-y type attitude that just never resonated with me at all (if anything, it pissed me off even more and made me more resistant to change). Either that, or it's that stodgy, dusty, old boring "Let me show you the ultimate keys to success and financial blah blah blah you're already lost me and I don't care give me back my bag of Cheetos" tone.
I really don't like self-help books. If there's one thing that working in the library has taught me (well, there are several things, but this one applies here) it's that everybody has THE answer - and THE answer is about a thousand and one different things. They all profess to work - yet nothing really works. The self-help genre is about one of the most pretentious and annoying genre there is out there.
Which brings me to The Nerdist Way
I found this book quite by accident. I was doing a search for a patron at work and I don't even remember what I was looking up. But this came up in the search and I thought "Huh - Chris Hardwick wrote a book. And he narrated the audio version. I enjoy his podcast and the articles on Nerdist. I'd like to listen to this book!" So I checked it out, knowing almost nothing about what kind of book it was. I quickly found out and I was disappointed for about five seconds that this was a self-help book. But as I kept listening, I realized that this was so much different from other self-help books I've encountered. For one thing, Hardwick acknowledges that nerds/geeks/whatever you want to call yourself are different - we think differently and we live in our own heads most of the time and that can be a strength or a weakness, depending on how you use it. He explained everything so clearly (and in terms that were fun and entertaining and I could relate to) that I thought "Hey - I'm not crazy after all! Someone else has gone through this!"
Of course, there was about 20% of what he said that either didn't apply to me or I didn't agree with, but you're going to get that with anything you read. For the most part, his suggestions and insights were things that I can reasonably accomplish and I've already started - just to see how easy it is! The best part - he never takes a condescending tone or tries to act superior because he knows all the answers (like so many self-help books do). Rather, it's more of a "I made these mistakes, I learned from them, I want you to learn from what I've learned - if it's something you might need." I appreciated that tone - that he was a peer and contemporary and a fellow geek. I loved all the pop culture references he peppered throughout the book. Again - made it more relatable and fun. That also contributed to the feeling that I wasn't some broken or strange thing that needed to be fixed in order to deal with regular society. That I was fine with my basic personality - there are just a few adjustments I can make within that context to make more of my life and myself.
I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve themselves, but other self-help suggestions have fallen flat for you. Or if you're just a fan of Chris Hardwick and want more of his brand of snark, with a dash of hard-earned wisdom. Or if there's another reason a book like this might catch you attention. Definitely worth the time reading (or, in my case, listening) and certainly worth the effort to put his advice into play.
I've read/looked over a lot of self-help books and most of them are that "rah rah be more awesome you can do it" sort of insanely perky and outgoing cheerleader-y type attitude that just never resonated with me at all (if anything, it pissed me off even more and made me more resistant to change). Either that, or it's that stodgy, dusty, old boring "Let me show you the ultimate keys to success and financial blah blah blah you're already lost me and I don't care give me back my bag of Cheetos" tone.
I really don't like self-help books. If there's one thing that working in the library has taught me (well, there are several things, but this one applies here) it's that everybody has THE answer - and THE answer is about a thousand and one different things. They all profess to work - yet nothing really works. The self-help genre is about one of the most pretentious and annoying genre there is out there.
Which brings me to The Nerdist Way
I found this book quite by accident. I was doing a search for a patron at work and I don't even remember what I was looking up. But this came up in the search and I thought "Huh - Chris Hardwick wrote a book. And he narrated the audio version. I enjoy his podcast and the articles on Nerdist. I'd like to listen to this book!" So I checked it out, knowing almost nothing about what kind of book it was. I quickly found out and I was disappointed for about five seconds that this was a self-help book. But as I kept listening, I realized that this was so much different from other self-help books I've encountered. For one thing, Hardwick acknowledges that nerds/geeks/whatever you want to call yourself are different - we think differently and we live in our own heads most of the time and that can be a strength or a weakness, depending on how you use it. He explained everything so clearly (and in terms that were fun and entertaining and I could relate to) that I thought "Hey - I'm not crazy after all! Someone else has gone through this!"
Of course, there was about 20% of what he said that either didn't apply to me or I didn't agree with, but you're going to get that with anything you read. For the most part, his suggestions and insights were things that I can reasonably accomplish and I've already started - just to see how easy it is! The best part - he never takes a condescending tone or tries to act superior because he knows all the answers (like so many self-help books do). Rather, it's more of a "I made these mistakes, I learned from them, I want you to learn from what I've learned - if it's something you might need." I appreciated that tone - that he was a peer and contemporary and a fellow geek. I loved all the pop culture references he peppered throughout the book. Again - made it more relatable and fun. That also contributed to the feeling that I wasn't some broken or strange thing that needed to be fixed in order to deal with regular society. That I was fine with my basic personality - there are just a few adjustments I can make within that context to make more of my life and myself.
I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve themselves, but other self-help suggestions have fallen flat for you. Or if you're just a fan of Chris Hardwick and want more of his brand of snark, with a dash of hard-earned wisdom. Or if there's another reason a book like this might catch you attention. Definitely worth the time reading (or, in my case, listening) and certainly worth the effort to put his advice into play.