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carpentoid's reviews
122 reviews
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
2.0
The 50-100 pages or so where Charlie is developing intelligence is incredible, filled with character and compassion in a world that seems to be acting against its own values. However, the other couple hundred pages or so after he fully becomes smart turns into another book entirely, one that is mediocre and that everyone has read many times before. Every woman alive suddenly wants to have sex with him while Charlie is simply complaining about how terrible it is to be smarter than everyone. He essentially turns into Bukowski only much worse at writing prose. His mistreatment of the women in his life and the way they are all completely okay with it makes it painfully obvious that this book was written in the 1950s.
To summarize: the author is really good at writing dumb people.
To summarize: the author is really good at writing dumb people.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
1.0
I'm sure this is an amazing manual for salespeople, and I will certainly apply some of it's techniques the next time I'm in an argument or at a job interview, but it is terrible for a book on socializing or conversation or making personal connections with others (which seems to be the most common reason people read it). Here's some advice and quotes I've highlighted throughout my time with it:
•"You don't feel like smiling? Then what? Two things. First, force yourself to smile. If you are alone, force yourself to whistle or hum a tune or sing. Act as if you were already happy, and that will tend to make you happy." (Pt.2, Ch.2) (reminds me of the "Moaning Lisa" episode of the Simpsons)
•Say other people's names as much as possible to make them feel important and like you. (Pt.2, Ch.3) (I have no clue where he gets this idea from)
•"He talked about the things he knew would interest and please you. He made himself agreeable." (Pt.2, Ch. 5) (he's using this as a good example on what to do)
•Let the other person do most of the talking. (Pt.3, Ch.6) (this will just make you seem uninteresting)
•Make others feel superior to you so that they will enjoy hanging out with you to get their ego boost. (Pt.3, Ch.6)
He teaches you how to manipulate people, and then offhandedly mentions that you should also act "authentic" (or at least come off as authentic). He is blissfully unaware of how condescending his "good" examples are. He praises someone swindling a vulnerable elderly lady into giving him her car by pretending to be interested in her life (Pt.2, Ch.6). He uses Socrates as an example on how to be agreeable, despite the fact that Socrates was literally executed just for being annoying (Pt.3, Ch.5).
If you're going to read this book, read it with a skeptical lens, because I really feel bad for anybody who believes in all of his techniques and for anybody who might be forced to interact with them. That said, I honestly don't even think you should read it. It's entire purpose is to teach you how to be duplicitous, and all of the pieces of advice that are actually helpful in making deeper personal relationships are only so due to happenstance. Even without reading it as a self-help book, there are still many dangerous chapters which promote things which benefit businesses but are a great harm to society. And as with most self-help books, there's too much filler and useless anecdotes to make any lessons learnt worthwhile. Half the book is just on the boomerang effect and belief perseverance, and the other half is just telling you to avoid conflict and be sympathetic to others, but told over and over again in ways that aren't particularly interesting. Just save yourself the time and read one of the summaries on GoodReads, Wikipedia, or some other place.
•"You don't feel like smiling? Then what? Two things. First, force yourself to smile. If you are alone, force yourself to whistle or hum a tune or sing. Act as if you were already happy, and that will tend to make you happy." (Pt.2, Ch.2) (reminds me of the "Moaning Lisa" episode of the Simpsons)
•Say other people's names as much as possible to make them feel important and like you. (Pt.2, Ch.3) (I have no clue where he gets this idea from)
•"He talked about the things he knew would interest and please you. He made himself agreeable." (Pt.2, Ch. 5) (he's using this as a good example on what to do)
•Let the other person do most of the talking. (Pt.3, Ch.6) (this will just make you seem uninteresting)
•Make others feel superior to you so that they will enjoy hanging out with you to get their ego boost. (Pt.3, Ch.6)
He teaches you how to manipulate people, and then offhandedly mentions that you should also act "authentic" (or at least come off as authentic). He is blissfully unaware of how condescending his "good" examples are. He praises someone swindling a vulnerable elderly lady into giving him her car by pretending to be interested in her life (Pt.2, Ch.6). He uses Socrates as an example on how to be agreeable, despite the fact that Socrates was literally executed just for being annoying (Pt.3, Ch.5).
If you're going to read this book, read it with a skeptical lens, because I really feel bad for anybody who believes in all of his techniques and for anybody who might be forced to interact with them. That said, I honestly don't even think you should read it. It's entire purpose is to teach you how to be duplicitous, and all of the pieces of advice that are actually helpful in making deeper personal relationships are only so due to happenstance. Even without reading it as a self-help book, there are still many dangerous chapters which promote things which benefit businesses but are a great harm to society. And as with most self-help books, there's too much filler and useless anecdotes to make any lessons learnt worthwhile. Half the book is just on the boomerang effect and belief perseverance, and the other half is just telling you to avoid conflict and be sympathetic to others, but told over and over again in ways that aren't particularly interesting. Just save yourself the time and read one of the summaries on GoodReads, Wikipedia, or some other place.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
3.0
Great overview of all the necessary components of good English. It's a concise enough manual to warrant going back to many times, and the surprising amount of humor makes it an engaging read.