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New York Times Bestseller

THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK

A counterintuitive approach to living a good life.

by Mark Manson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

A good yardstick by which self-improvement books should be measured.

An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places.

Popular blogger Manson ( Models: Attract Women Through Honesty , 2011) criticizes self-help books for their fundamentally flawed approach of telling readers they're special, assuring them that they can surpass—but, notably, not solve—problems, and encouraging them to embrace their exceptionalism. The author sternly disagrees, showing readers "how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed values." Unlike simple affirmations or personal growth books designed to flatter or soothe, Manson urges readers to "change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success.” Having better values creates better problems to solve, and those achievements will lead to a legitimately improved life. Throughout, the author continually slaps readers sharply across the face, using blunt, funny, and deceptively offhand language when expanding on his key principle: "Not giving a fuck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different….There’s absolutely nothing admirable or confident about indifference. People who are indifferent are lame and scared. They’re couch potatoes and Internet trolls….They hide in a gray, emotionless pit of their own making, self-absorbed and self-pitying, perpetually distracting themselves from this unfortunate thing demanding their time and energy called life.” Manson's cheeky but thoughtful opinions combine with in-depth advice in such sections as "You're Wrong About Anything (But So Am I)" and "How To Be a Little Less Certain of Yourself” (hint: “if it’s down to me being screwed up, or everybody else being screwed up, it is far, far, far more likely that I’m the one who’s screwed up”). This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-245771-4

Page Count: 224

Publisher: HarperOne

Review Posted Online: July 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016

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by Will Smith with Mark Manson

by Mark Manson

by Robert Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 13, 2012

Readers unfamiliar with the anecdotal material Greene presents may find interesting avenues to pursue, but they should...

Greene ( The 33 Strategies of War , 2007, etc.) believes that genius can be learned if we pay attention and reject social conformity.

The author suggests that our emergence as a species with stereoscopic, frontal vision and sophisticated hand-eye coordination gave us an advantage over earlier humans and primates because it allowed us to contemplate a situation and ponder alternatives for action. This, along with the advantages conferred by mirror neurons, which allow us to intuit what others may be thinking, contributed to our ability to learn, pass on inventions to future generations and improve our problem-solving ability. Throughout most of human history, we were hunter-gatherers, and our brains are engineered accordingly. The author has a jaundiced view of our modern technological society, which, he writes, encourages quick, rash judgments. We fail to spend the time needed to develop thorough mastery of a subject. Greene writes that every human is “born unique,” with specific potential that we can develop if we listen to our inner voice. He offers many interesting but tendentious examples to illustrate his theory, including Einstein, Darwin, Mozart and Temple Grandin. In the case of Darwin, Greene ignores the formative intellectual influences that shaped his thought, including the discovery of geological evolution with which he was familiar before his famous voyage. The author uses Grandin's struggle to overcome autistic social handicaps as a model for the necessity for everyone to create a deceptive social mask.

Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-670-02496-4

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012

PSYCHOLOGY | SELF-HELP

More by Robert Greene

by Robert Greene

BRAVE ENOUGH

by Cheryl Strayed ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2015

These platitudes need perspective; better to buy the books they came from.

A lightweight collection of self-help snippets from the bestselling author.

What makes a quote a quote? Does it have to be quoted by someone other than the original author? Apparently not, if we take Strayed’s collection of truisms as an example. The well-known memoirist ( Wild ), novelist ( Torch ), and radio-show host ( “Dear Sugar”) pulls lines from her previous pages and delivers them one at a time in this small, gift-sized book. No excerpt exceeds one page in length, and some are only one line long. Strayed doesn’t reference the books she’s drawing from, so the quotes stand without context and are strung together without apparent attention to structure or narrative flow. Thus, we move back and forth from first-person tales from the Pacific Crest Trail to conversational tidbits to meditations on grief. Some are astoundingly simple, such as Strayed’s declaration that “Love is the feeling we have for those we care deeply about and hold in high regard.” Others call on the author’s unique observations—people who regret what they haven’t done, she writes, end up “mingy, addled, shrink-wrapped versions” of themselves—and offer a reward for wading through obvious advice like “Trust your gut.” Other quotes sound familiar—not necessarily because you’ve read Strayed’s other work, but likely due to the influence of other authors on her writing. When she writes about blooming into your own authenticity, for instance, one is immediately reminded of Anaïs Nin: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Strayed’s true blossoming happens in her longer works; while this collection might brighten someone’s day—and is sure to sell plenty of copies during the holidays—it’s no substitute for the real thing.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-101-946909

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015

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7 Lessons Learned from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is perhaps one of the most popular personal development books of the last few years. But does it really live up to all the hype?

That’s what this post is about.

Rather than your typical book review for Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, I’m going to share 7 of the lessons that I learned from the book.

It’s a small part of the wisdom that you can get from reading the book yourself, so if this interests you, I’d highly recommend picking up the book yourself!

It’s definitely worth reading.

Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Nobody Likes an Apathetic Bastard, Not Even You!

Let’s start with the most important thing:

As the title of the book suggests, not giving a fuck is an art and a subtle one at that. Not giving a fuck about anything is not cool, it’s not the romanticized view of the movie hero who’s a calm badass…

It’s apathy!

It’s that feeling like nothing in your life matters, where you feel lifeless and are unable to feel anything at all. It’s basically being dead inside and having a severe depression!

That’s definitely NOT what Mark had in mind with this book!

Nobody likes someone who’s apathetic about everything, including you yourself. If you allow yourself to sink that low in an attempt to “be cool” or whatever, you let yourself sink into deep, dark despair!

If you learn any lesson from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, this is it!

That’s why this is lesson #1 from the book.

Which leads us to the second lesson in the book.

Lesson 2: You Only Have a Limited Amount of Fucks to Give, Choose Wisely!

Do you sometimes feel like there’s just too much on your plate?

From the messages you get on your phone, to worrying about what person X thinks about you, to thinking about issues at work or school, to keeping up appearances on social media, to going out to show you’re a cool person and a gazillion more things!

It’s the modern day version of a medieval torture technique:

In the middle ages, they had this torture technique where someone would be chained up and their limbs would be pulled into 4 different directions, leading to excruciating pain!

Our society does the same, except mentally.

Everyone and everything, from people you know, to the media to politics, to social media, and everything in between are competing for your attention! They’re pulling your mind in not 4, but 400 different directions!

So, it’s time to stop!

At the core, the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is about finding out your values and living by those! In other words, it’s about choosing what to give a fuck about, and what to let go of.

For example:

In school, learning and a hunger for knowledge isn’t the “cool” thing to do. Many people choose to go to parties in their teens and twenties as something they care about instead. Myself and Mark Manson included.

When you get older you may find that partying isn’t that important in life after all. You may find (like I have) that learning and self-improvement is way more important!

It’s why you’re here, right?

So the first step is to figure out what you stand for. What the things that are important to YOU are. What key principles and values are in line with the person you are and want to be.

Live by those and let go of (stop giving a fuck in the author’s words) the rest.

Lesson 3: Problems Are Inevitable! But… You Can Choose Your Future Problems

So now that you got your values in place, you’re set, right? You’ll have a happy blissful life where only good things will ever happen to you. You’ll lead the perfect life from now on….

And other fairy tales you can tell yourself!

Yeah… that’s not how life works!

The truth is that no matter what you do, you will have problems and hardships along the way. Struggle and hardship is a part of life, so there’s no point in trying to avoid all of it.

That’s one of the things I love about this book!

Whereas most of the personal development and self help books ignore that fact, Mark Manson embraces it as one of the key truths. And then offers some practical advice to deal with it.

It comes down to this:

Firstly, you can choose which problems to focus your attention on.

Secondly, after you solve your current problems, new problems will arise, period. However, depending on how you handled previous problems, the new ones could be either better or worse problems.

How to Create Better Problems in Your Life!

I’ll show you by example:

Let’s say your relationship just ended.

You could focus on solving the problem of constantly thinking about him/her by drowning yourself in alcohol in order to forget. Just to feel better in the moment and not have to think about it.

You could look at why things didn’t work out, find perhaps a problem with your own attitude and work on that. Alternatively, you could focus on the “problem” of being single (nothing wrong with that, self love is bliss!) by getting yourself out there and back into the dating scene.

Now, let’s fast forward a bit:

If you focused on the first problem, you’ll now have new problems with possible alcohol addiction, health issues as well as potential issues with relationships, your job and more.

You created worse problems for yourself.

If you focused on the third problem, you might now be stressed out! You’ve got a date in 2 hours and “OMG, I’m so nervous! What do I wear? Will it go well? Will I be ready in time? AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Again, you’re facing problems!

However, if you fix these problems, you might end up in a beautiful new relationship (which again will bring new problems too). Instead of being a sad alcoholic wallowing in self-pity all day long.

So, which problems would you rather have?

The One Question to Ask Yourself

Your time is limited.

You cannot solve all of the problems in your life. Instead I’d recommend asking yourself 1 simple question while keeping your values, your things to give a fuck about in mind:

“Will solving this problem, create better or worse problems for me?”

And guess what?

If you think about it rationally and conclude that this problem would lead to worse problems down the line, then again it’s time to not give a fuck about it and move on to solve better problems!

Lesson 4: Choose Your Company by Your Values

Let’s talk about the perfect person, yours truly of course!

Nah, screw that!

Neither me, nor you, nor anyone else is perfect, period. We all have flaws in the things we do, in our character traits, in our habits and our behavior. This is not a perfect fairy tail world.

We all have good things and bad things.

There’s a famous Jim Rohn quote that says: “You become the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with.” Which leads us to the choice of who we want to spend out time with.

In The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark talks about choosing your friends and company by your (and their) values.

Here’s what he means:

We all have flaws, but there’s a difference between someone being dishonest often or someone who is a perfectionist or is incredibly timid.

Which qualities do you care about?

For example, I would not want hang out or be friends with someone who’s dishonest. I don’t mind someone who’s a perfectionist or timed. In fact I’m rather timid myself at first around people I don’t know.

What qualities do you value in people?

Strive for Improvement
Being smart
A sense of humor

Look for the things that are important to you and try to pick your company according to the things that are important to you.

Lesson 5: When You Feel Stuck Get Started Anyway

Let’s talk about everyone’s least favorite subject:

Math…

In his book, Mark talks about a lesson he learned from an old math teacher.

If you’re anything like me, you’d look at a math problem and freeze up. It looks intimidating, it looks daunting and you feel like you’re stuck with no clue how to solve the problem.

The tip is simply this:

When feeling stuck, start somewhere.!

In this case you would start by just copying the problem, and once you do that, you can maybe rewrite it in a way that makes more sense. Then, as if struck by lightning, you get an idea for the first step to take.

And then another step, and another.

We can often keep ourselves stuck by thinking of how huge our goals and dreams are, and feeling overwhelmed. But when you take those first steps, the rest of the path ahead of you becomes clearer.

Get started with the things you can do, figure out more stuff later.

You don’t need to know the entire journey and path ahead of you. You just need to know where you’re heading and the first couple of steps that you can take that will get you closer.

Lesson 6: Your Situation Doesn’t Matter Nearly as Much as Your Perspective

I don’t want to spoil too many of the stories, but this is one I think will help you.

Again, buy and read the book yourself!

Especially since the lessons I’ve shared so far in this book review are resonating with you (or you wouldn’t still be reading), you know there’s way more goodness in store for you!

A few bucks for knowledge and clarity seems like a good deal to me!

Have you ever heard of Dave Mustaine?

He’s the guitarist of Megadeth , which he started after being kicked out of Metallica. That was a hard blow for him, but one that he used as fuel for his own success.

He wanted to become bigger than Metallica.

Megadeth went on to sell more than 38 million records worldwide. They have done multiple world tours, gotten platinum albums, and sold out entire stadiums.

In interviews he still admitted he felt like a failure at times!

Just imagine selling millions of albums, being world famous, having made millions and still feeling like a failure. That’s why your perspective matters way more than your situation!

Dave thought of himself, not as the guitarist of Megadeth, but as the guy who got kicked out of Metallica. He defined success as being bigger than Metallica , which he did not achieve.

What do you think of his perspective?

Lesson 7: Pretend You’re an Outsider Looking at Your Life, What Would You Say?

The last question is exactly the final lesson from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck that I want to share with you.

Because, it just feels ridiculous, doesn’t it?

Reading about someone who, to an outsider, might have everything that his heart could possibly desired, and still feel like a failure. It just sounds so unreal hearing about that.

And that’s one of our main issues!

Oftentimes we are so caught up in our lives, both the good parts as well as the problems. And because we are IN those problems, we are unable to step back, look at them and see the bigger picture.

The key is this:

Ask yourself this one thing:

“If I was an outsider, looking at myself, my situation and my attitude about the problem, what advice would I give to myself?”

This is an amazing question!

Not only do you get out of feeling sorry for your ass by asking this, but you also distance yourself from the issue so that you can see the bigger picture and get more clear of things.

Not Giving a Fuck Truly Is an Art!

And so is Mark Manson’s book on the topic!

While the approach to the topic is radically different than how most personal development books do it, that’s what makes the book stand out so much!

As a conclusion to this book review of “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”:

Buy the damn book !

You’ve already read a few of the lessons from the book as a preview, but you’ll get infinitely more value out of reading the stories and the lessons for youself.

So just do yourself that 1 favor!

Do You Want to Increase Your Productivity by 30% or More This Week ? Watch this Free Training:

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The Literary Edit

Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson

I’m not entirely sure when The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was published, but suffice it to say it’s become something of a cult read of late. It seems that every where I look; on the train, on the beach, in my local bookstore-come-cafe, people are reading it, and more than that; they’re recommending it too.

A friend of mine lent me The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and while I was already half way through André Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, I found myself locked out of my apartment as dusk fell on Sunday evening, and so I made my way to my favourite bookstore-come-cafe in Bondi, and settled down for two hours of reading with a chai tea and the background buzz of chatter for company.

A thought-provoking and inspiring book from the start, Manson has a clear talent at turning the way many of us look at things on their head, and I found the following notion a particularly interesting one: the desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.

Using case studies and his own life experience, Manson’s philosophy that we hone in on what’s really important in life, and stop giving air time to what isn’t, is a clear reminder to not sweat the small stuff. He talks about how comparison truly is a thief of joy, and how while we all continue to strive for success, ironically, this fixation on the positive—on what’s better, what’s superior—only serves to remind us over and over again of what we are not, of what we lack, of what we should have been but failed to be.

The chapter on blame versus responsibility was one that really resonated with me, and how my life has played out since quitting my job fourteen months ago and the highs and lows that have since ensued. I suppose blame and responsibility are two things that we often see as going hand in hand – if we’re to blame for something we’re therefore responsible for it and vice versa, yet Manson states an argument for why this isn’t necessarily the case. There are many things in life that happen to us that we’re not to blame for – a turbulent childhood, an abusive relationship, a toxic boss – but while it may not be our fault that such things have happened, it is in fact our responsibility to rectify said situation and come out the other end smiling.

I think as humans we have a tendency to blame others for our misfortunes – the bosses who made our life hell, the so-called friends who took advantage of our good nature – and it’s always easier to attribute our downfalls to those on the outside, rather than taking ownership for when things don’t go according to plan. Manson’s simple, but effective theory on taking responsibility for something, even when you’re not to blame for it, is one that not only makes sense, but also encourages a more fulfilled way of living; if, after all, we can hold ourselves accountable for our failures, we too can take power over our successes.

An easy an inspiring read to live a better life – one in which we place more prominence on what’s important and less on what’s not, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a book that will give you clarity on why things might have gone wrong in the past, and how to best rectify them for the future.

About Mark Manson

Mark Manson is a blogger, author and entrepreneur. He specializes in writing personal development advice that doesn’t suck. His website MarkManson.net is read by over 2 million people each month. He lives in New York City.

About The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. “F**k positivity,” Mark Manson says. “Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it.” In his wildly popular Internet blog, Mason doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—”not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson – Book Review

The subtle art of not giving a f*ck book description.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson - Book Review

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is a generation-defining self-help guide, by a superstar blogger who cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be ‘positive’ all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

Mark Manson is a self-help author, personal development consultant, entrepreneur, and blogger.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Book Review

The book deals with society’s pre-occupation with positive experiences and treating any negative experience as wrong, to be removed from life.

This pre-occupation with ‘positive experiences’ has created a generation of people having unrealistic expectations, who feel entitled and who have inadequate coping mechanisms to deal with failure and rejection, that is inevitable in life. The result is anxiety, a sense of failure and depression, even in those who are relatively doing quite well.

The trigger is the societal trends of consumerism, mass marketing, and social media, where ‘ average ,’ which by definition is the norm, is considered ‘ failure .’ Mass media and social media are heavily biased towards reporting successes from the extremes of the bell curve, without highlighting the years, or even decades of grinding hard work, pain, struggle, and repeated failures suffered by those currently badged ‘ successful .’

All of this is particularly visible in the Millennial generation, though by no means is this restricted to them.

The ‘ conventional life advice—all the positive and happy self-help stuff we hear all the time—is actually fixating on what you lack ,’ is not helping people.

Hence, this book by Mark Manson advises us to stop worrying about what others think, or measure themselves against an unrealistic yardstick. And that’s the reason for the title of the book, which is about ‘not giving a f*ck.’

Mark believes that ‘improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better.’

Key messages from the book are:

Get comfortable with being different.
Emotions are not a reliable indicator. We should develop the habit of questioning them.
Most of us are not exceptional or unusual; we are quite average. The feeling that we are ‘entitled’ to something without doing anything generates unrealistic expectations in life and relationships.
Most precious things in life take time and involve a journey involving struggle, hard work, and occasional failure. This journey is what makes life fulfilling and gives it meaning.
Suffering, pain, and struggle are an integral part of life, and we need to develop coping mechanisms to deal with them. Instead of worrying, or considering it as something negative, we need to have a ‘Why’ that would make the suffering and struggle worthwhile.
Choose your pain. For example, we need the pain of exercise and lifting weights for months and years to get that six-pack.
Know yourself better. Understand your values and measure yourself with metrics that are internal to you instead of external metrics (jets, cars, holiday homes).
The second half of the book talks about five values – taking responsibility for everything that happens to you, dealing with uncertainty, failure, rejection, and mortality.

I found the book a bit too long for the content. However, I believe the author used a ‘conversational style’ and language (more than hundred ‘f*ck’ words) to make the book accessible to its audience.

In my view, this is a must-read for the young generation just starting their careers and relationships. It is useful to others too.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Quotes

Let’s start with my favourite quote from the book.

Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.

People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who run triathlons and have chiseled abs and can bench-press a small house. People who enjoy long workweeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who fly to the top of it. People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainties of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.

Our culture today confuses great attention and great success, assuming them to be the same thing. But they are not.

Self-improvement and success often occur together. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the same thing.

The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.

Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience.

To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action; it’s an activity, not something that is passively bestowed upon you..

True happiness occurs only when you find the problems you enjoy having and enjoy solving.

Emotions evolved for one specific purpose: to help us live and reproduce a little bit better. That’s it. They’re feedback mechanisms telling us that something is either likely right or likely wrong for us—nothing more, nothing less. Emotions are simply biological signals designed to nudge you in the direction of beneficial change.

adversity and failure are actually useful and even necessary for developing strong-minded and successful adults.

Most of us are pretty average at most things we do. Even if you’re exceptional at one thing, chances are you’re average or below average at most other things. That’s just the nature of life. To become truly great at something, you have to dedicate shit-tons of time and energy to it. And because we all have limited time and energy, few of us ever become truly exceptional at more than one thing, if anything at all.

The pampering of the modern mind has resulted in a population that feels deserving of something without earning that something, a population that feels they have a right to something without sacrificing for it.

If you think about a young child trying to learn to walk, that child will fall down and hurt itself hundreds of times. But at no point does that child ever stop and think, “Oh, I guess walking just isn’t for me. I’m not good at it.” Avoiding failure is something we learn at some later point in life. I’m sure a lot of it comes from our education system, which judges rigorously based on performance and punishes those who don’t do well.

Accepting responsibility for our problems is thus the first step to solving them.

Growth is an endlessly iterative process. When we learn something new, we don’t go from “wrong” to “right.” Rather, we go from wrong to slightly less wrong.

Certainty is the enemy of growth.

Being wrong opens us up to the possibility of change.

When we let go of the stories we tell about ourselves, to ourselves, we free ourselves up to actually act (and fail) and grow.

…if it feels like it’s you versus the world, chances are it’s really just you versus yourself.

Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something.

“If you’re stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; just start working on it. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, the simple act of working on it will eventually cause the right ideas to show up in your head.”

Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.

Healthy love is based on two people acknowledging and addressing their own problems with each other’s support.

…“immortality projects,” projects that allow our conceptual self to live on way past the point of our physical death. All of human civilization, he says, is basically a result of immortality projects…

Commitment makes decision-making easier and removes any fear of missing out

Without conflict, there can be no trust. Conflict exists to show us who is there for us unconditionally and who is just there for the benefits. No one trusts a yes-man.

If you make a sacrifice for someone you care about, it needs to be because you want to, not because you feel obligated or because you fear the consequences of not doing so.

It can be difficult for people to recognize the difference between doing something out of obligation and doing it voluntarily. So here’s a litmus test: ask yourself, “If I refused, how would the relationship change?”

…our proudest achievements come in the face of the greatest adversity.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Preview

The subtle art of not giving a fuck

Book : the subtle art of not giving a f*ck.

written by Mark Manson, published by HarperCollinsPublishers genre self-help / personal development, 204 pages

I guess it’s not possible that you haven’t seen or heard about ‘The subtle art of not giving a f*ck – a counterintuitive approach to living a good life’ because it’s one of those number one bestselling books that keep on showing up wherever and whenever there can be found books, or just one book, or no books at all. For a long time everywhere I looked I stumbled upon this ugly orange book cover and although trends like these usually demotivate me of checking something out, somehow the title made me curious enough to give it a go anyway.

Even though everybody and his grandmother already heard all about this book, I decided to write a review anyway. Not because it’s a brand new book – as a matter of fact it’s not new at all and earlier this year the writer already published his second book called ‘Everything is f*cked’- but just in case you’re one of the few people that aren’t familiar with Mark and his work and because I think the subtle art of not giving a f*ck is worthy of your attention!

The subtle art is the ultimate self-help book for people who hate self-help books. It’s all about self-improvement through engaging and improving upon problems and learning to accept the occasional unhappiness that’s part of life. This approach is different from almost all books I read about this topic and I also really appreciate this book because of Mark’s humor and witty writing. He’s bold, sarcastic, funny, raw and real and that’s what makes this book so powerful.

The writer teaches us how to focus and prioritize our thoughts effectively – how to pick and choose what matters and what does not matter based on finely honed personal values. He presents the idea of not giving a fuck as a simple way of reorienting our expectations for life and choosing what is important and what is not.

‘The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.’

– Mark Manson

Mark explains how happiness comes from solving problems. To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action; it’s an activity. It’s a constant work-in-progress, because solving problems is a constant work-in-progress – the solutions to today’s problems will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s problems and so on. This may sound depressing, but to me it’s actually part of the beauty of life.

If suffering is inevitable and if our problems in life are unavoidable, then the question we should be asking is not “How do I stop suffering?” but “Why am I suffering – for what purpose?” This way the writer points out that it’s important to nail down some good values and metrics, then pleasure and success will naturally emerge as a result, as they are side effects of good values.

‘Wanting positive experience is itself a negative experience; accepting negative experience is a positive experience.’

Our values determine the metrics by which we measure ourselves and everyone else. If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and how you measure failure and success. When we have poor values – that is, poor standards we set for ourselves and others – we are essentially giving fucks about the things that don’t matter, things that in fact make our life worse. Therefore self-improvement is all about prioritizing better values; choosing better things to give a fuck about.

‘When you give better fucks, you get better problems and you get a better life!’

Additionally Mark offers us five counterintuitive (unconventional & uncomfortable) values, that are the most beneficial values one can adopt:

Responsibility : taking responsibility for everything that occurs in life, regardless of who’s at fault, no matter the external circumstances.
Uncertainty : the acknowledgement of your own ignorance and the cultivation of constant doubt in your own beliefs.
Failure : the willingness to discover your own flaws and mistakes so that they may be improved upon.
Rejection : the ability to both say and hear no, clearly defining what you will and will not accept in your life.
Contemplation of one’s own mortality : perhaps the only thing capable of helping us keep all our other values in proper perspective.

For more info about Mark Manson visit his website or find him on twitter or instagram . Want to know more about the publisher? Take a look here .

Joney Talks!

Manage your personal finances like a boss, book review: the subtle art of not giving a f*ck.

During my short summer holidays in Estonia and Belgium, I caught up on my challenge of reading 18 books this year (I am still “behind schedule” but made good progress) and I happened to have read this fun and deeper-than-it-appears read.

With the Amazon voucher Santa brought me last year, I picked this book. The title sounded fun, “go-against-the-grain” provocative, it resonated with my approach to life (be yourself, be weird and focus on what matters to you) and I had seen it everywhere on social media.

The subtle art of not caring about anything?

Although it may appear so, the book is not a guide to do anything you want for your own pleasure and not caring about any consequences. The main point author Mark Manson wants to drive home is that you should focus on what truly is important to you (relationships for example) and let go of everything else (keeping up with the Joneses*, what society expects of you to do, trivial issues such as “ missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer “, poor values,…).

A counterintuitive approach to living a good life

Manson differs himself from other self-development authors by his counterintuitive approach. It is not a book about greatness: you are special, you can achieve anything, etc. No, the author is of the opinion that not everything has to be great all the time (like on social media!), that it is okay for life to suck sometimes, that suffering will happen and that it is just a part of life. It is also about being comfortable with who you are, your fears, your doubts and the hard truths the “Disappointment Panda” – a superhero telling people harsh truths about themselves that they needed to hear but didn’t want to accept – will confront you with. The book can be seen as a guide to deal with this inevitable suffering “ more mindfully, with more compassion and more humility ” and as well to redefine your priorities and letting go of the unimportant items.

The topics mentioned in the book are logical and the points of Mark Manson make huge sense. These are illustrated with interesting stories and sometimes personal anecdotes that really help get the point across. I particularly enjoyed the stories about Lieutenant Onoda and the one with Dave Mustaine , which are about the values you choose to live by.

Lieutenant Onoda stayed hidden in the jungle of the Philippines for more than 30 years after World War II. He was, in fact, convinced that the war was not over yet and continued to kill innocent civilians despite letters sent to him from Japan (even a note from the emperor) asking him to return. Lieutenant Onoda valued honor, self-reliance and he took defending his country at all costs very seriously. He had been given the order to “never surrender” and that is the reason he stayed. When he was found by a Japanese “hippie” who convinced him the war ended 30 years ago, Onoda eventually returned to Japan. Upon his return, he did not find the same Japanese Empire he had been fighting for: Instead, he got disgusted by a consumerist, capitalist and superficial culture that had lost all of the traditions of honor and sacrifice upon which his generation had been raised . Onoda claimed he could not live according to his values in this post-war westernized Japan so he could not be happy. He even claimed that he was happier during his time in the jungle protecting a phantom empire. His time there gave his life meaning. All the years of suffering to protect the past empire suddenly meant nothing anymore. It was as if the Disappointment Panda had knocked on his door and told him straight to his face: “Sorry pal, you just wasted 30 years of your life”.

Book review of Mark Manson's Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*, Should you give a F*about this book? #markmanson #thesubtleartofnotgivingaf #bookreview #inspiringbooks #priorities

As a rock fan myself I, of course, enjoyed the story of Dave Mustaine. Mustaine was appointed as the lead guitarist of Metallica in 1981 but got kicked out of the band even before recording their first album in a quite abrupt way. Shortly after this incident, he formed the popular band Megadeth, the band turned out to be wildly popular over the years (check out this cover !) and it has sold more than 38 million albums. Quite impressive, isn’t it? However, the problem is, the man revealed he still feels like a failure: He still sees himself as the guy who dropped out of Metallica (the band has now sold over 180 million albums) and has adopted a value based on comparing his success to that of Metallica’s.

Although extreme, these two examples show the author’s point that choosing what you care about, what you value will define what kind of life you will live.

Should you give a f* about the book?

Manson takes a brutal and slap-in-your-face approach throughout the book which I can appreciate. The writing style of the book remains easy, some passages are absolutely hilarious, some are vulgar and will not appeal to every audience but most of what is being told is on point.

Since I am already prioritizing my attention to where it matters to me, the book was enjoyable but not a total revelation. My enthusiasm was high during the first chapters and faded slowly towards the middle, simply because what was advocated was mostly common sense.

All in all, I would give it 3.5 stars but how you evaluate the book will depend on your own background and life situation. Had I read the same book 10-15 years ago, I would probably have given it 5 stars! (I am 37). If you want to evaluate it for yourself, you can find the book here or listen to it via this free 30-day Audible trial.

Have you read it too? Should you give a f* about this book?

Let me know what you thought!

If you liked this article, do follow us on social media as well for more great content, check our Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , and join our e-mail list . I would love to connect with you!

*Keeping up with the Joneses: Comparing yourself and “competing” with your neighbours in terms of material possessions, social class,…

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3 thoughts on “ Book review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck ”

Thanks Joney for reminding me about your review of the book. It makes it quite appealing to read it. Might have to consider reading it eventually. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by The Lean Fox! Everyone will have a different opinion on this one. Let me know your thoughts when you have read it.

Pingback: Reorganizing Your Home (And Your Finances) with Siyana - Joney Talks!

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Summary

Rating: 4/5

The Book in Three Sentences

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a book that challenges the conventions of self-help by inviting the reader to NOT try, say no often and embrace negative thinking.
Not giving a f*ck is about being comfortable with being different and caring about something more important than adversity.
You must give a f*ck about something.

The Five Big Ideas

Conventional self-help advice focuses on what you’re NOT. Further, it zeros in on what you perceive your personal shortcomings and failures to already be, and highlights them for you.
The key to a good life is not giving a f*ck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.
When you feel angry about feeling angry or anxious about feeling anxious, you’re stuck in what Manson calls, “The Feedback Loop from Hell.”
However, by not giving a f*ck that you feel bad, you short-circuit the Feedback Loop from Hell; you say to yourself, “I feel like s*it, but who gives a f*ck?”
Because there’s an infinite amount of things we can now see or know, there is also an infinite number of ways we can discover that we don’t measure up, that we’re not good enough, that things aren’t as great as they could be. And this rips us apart inside.

What Not Giving a F*ck Means

Subtlety #1: Not giving a f*ck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different. A sneaky truth about life. There’s no such thing as not giving a f*ck. You must give a f*ck about something. You can’t be an important and life-changing presence for some people without also being a joke and an embarrassment to others.
Subtlety #2: To not give a f*ck about adversity, you must first give a f*ck about something more important than adversity. If you find yourself consistently giving too many f*cks about trivial s*it that bothers you, chances are you don’t have much going on in your life to give a legitimate f*ck about.
Subtlety #3: Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a f*ck about. Maturity is what happens when one learns to only give a f*ck about what’s truly f*ckworthy. The idea of not giving a f*ck is a simple way of reorienting our expectations for life and choosing what is important and what is not.

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The subtle art of not giving a f*ck summary.

The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.

The more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place. Philosopher Alan Watts used to refer to as “The Backwards Law.”

Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience.

To not give a f*ck is to stare down life’s most terrifying and difficult challenges and still take action.

When you give too many f*cks—when you give a f*ck about everyone and everything—you will feel that you’re perpetually entitled to be comfortable and happy at all times, that everything is supposed to be just exactly the f*cking way you want it to be.

Pain and loss are inevitable and we should let go of trying to resist them.

The greatest truths in life are usually the most unpleasant to hear.

We suffer for the simple reason that suffering is biologically useful. It is nature’s preferred agent for inspiring change.

Don’t hope for a life without problems. There’s no such thing. Instead, hope for a life full of good problems.

Problems never stop; they merely get exchanged and/or upgraded.

Happiness comes from problems you enjoy having and solving.

Nobody who is actually happy has to stand in front of a mirror and tell himself that he’s happy.

Emotions are simply biological signals designed to nudge you in the direction of beneficial change.

Negative emotions are a call to action. When you feel them, it’s because you’re supposed to do something. [Note: Tony Robbins discusses negative emotions at length in Awaken the Giant Within . ]

Just because something feels good doesn’t mean it is good.

Everything comes with an inherent sacrifice—whatever makes us feel good will also inevitably make us feel bad.

A more interesting question, a question that most people never consider, is, “What pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for?” Because that seems to be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out.

What determines your success isn’t, “What do you want to enjoy?” The relevant question is, “What pain do you want to sustain?” The path to happiness is a path full of s*itheaps and shame.

Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.

Our struggles determine our successes.

Our problems birth our happiness, along with slightly better, slightly upgraded problems.

The problem with the self-esteem movement is that it measured self-esteem by how positively people felt about themselves. But a true and accurate measurement of one’s self-worth is how people feel about the negative aspects of themselves.

People who feel entitled view every occurrence in their life as either an affirmation of or a threat to, their own greatness.

The true measurement of self-worth is not how a person feels about her positive experiences, but rather how she feels about her negative experiences.

A person who actually has a high self-worth is able to look at the negative parts of his character frankly—“Yes, sometimes I’m irresponsible with money,” “Yes, sometimes I exaggerate my own successes,” “Yes, I rely too much on others to support me and should be more self-reliant”—and then acts to improve upon them.

A lot of people are afraid to accept mediocrity because they believe that if they accept it, they’ll never achieve anything, never improve and that their life won’t matter.

The rare people who do become truly exceptional at something do so not because they believe they’re exceptional. On the contrary, they become amazing because they’re obsessed with improvement. And that obsession with improvement stems from an unerring belief that they are, in fact, not that great at all.

If suffering is inevitable, if our problems in life are unavoidable, then the question we should be asking is not “How do I stop suffering?” but “Why am I suffering—for what purpose?”

Self-awareness is like an onion. The first layer is a simple understanding of one’s emotions. The second layer is an ability to ask why we feel certain emotions. This layer of questioning helps us understand the root cause of the emotions that overwhelm us. Once we understand that root cause, we can ideally do something to change it. The third level is our personal values: Why do I consider this to be success/failure? How am I choosing to measure myself? By what standard am I judging myself and everyone around me?

Values underlie everything we are and do. If what we value is unhelpful, if what we consider success/failure is poorly chosen, then everything based upon those values—the thoughts, the emotions, the day-to-day feelings—will all be out of whack.

Much of the advice out there operates at a shallow level of simply trying to make people feel good in the short term, while the real long-term problems never get solved.

Take a moment and think of something that’s really bugging you. Now ask yourself why it bugs you. Chances are the answer will involve a failure of some sort.

What is objectively true about your situation is not as important as how you come to see the situation, how you choose to measure it and value it.

Our values determine the metrics by which we measure ourselves and everyone else.

If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success.

Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect.

Research shows that once one is able to provide for basic physical needs (food, shelter, and so on), the correlation between happiness and worldly success quickly approaches zero.

Constant positivity is a form of avoidance, not a valid solution to life’s problems—problems which, by the way, if you’re choosing the right values and metrics, should be invigorating you and motivating you.

When we force ourselves to stay positive at all times, we deny the existence of our life’s problems. And when we deny our problems, we rob ourselves of the chance to solve them and generate happiness.

Problems add a sense of meaning and importance to our lives.

Some of the greatest moments of one’s life are not pleasant, not successful, not known, and not positive.

Good values are 1) reality-based, 2) socially constructive, and 3) immediate and controllable. Bad values are 1) superstitious, 2) socially destructive, and 3) not immediate or controllable.

When we have poor values—that is, poor standards we set for ourselves and others—we are essentially giving f*cks about the things that don’t matter, things that in fact make our life worse.

Often the only difference between a problem being painful or being powerful is a sense that we chose it, and that we are responsible for it.

If you’re miserable in your current situation, chances are it’s because you feel like some part of it is outside your control—that there’s a problem you have no ability to solve, a problem that was somehow thrust upon you without your choosing.

We don’t always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond. [Note: Ryan Holiday writes about perspective at length in The Obstacle Is the Way .)

The more we choose to accept responsibility for our lives, the more power we will exercise over our lives. [Note: “Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life” is Principle #1 in The Success Principles by Jack Canfield.)

Accepting responsibility for our problems is thus the first step to solving them.

A lot of people hesitate to take responsibility for their problems because they believe that to be responsible for your problems is to also be at fault for your problems.

The responsibility/fault fallacy allows people to pass off the responsibility for solving their problems to others.

Our beliefs are malleable, and our memories are horribly unreliable.

The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it. Manson calls this, “The Law of Avoidance”

When we let go of the stories we tell about ourselves, to ourselves, we free ourselves up to actually act (and fail) and grow.

There is little that is unique or special about your problems. That’s why letting go is so liberating.

The narrower and rarer the identity you choose for yourself, the more everything will seem to threaten you. For that reason, define yourself in the simplest and most ordinary ways possible.

Questions that will help you breed more uncertainty in your life.

What if I’m wrong?
What would it mean if I were wrong?
Would being wrong create a better or a worse problem than my current problem, for both myself and others?

It’s worth remembering that for any change to happen in your life, you must be wrong about something.

Being able to look at and evaluate different values without necessarily adopting them is perhaps the central skill required in changing one’s own life in a meaningful way.

Manson tries to live with few rules, but one that he’s adopted over the years is this: if it’s down to him being screwed up, or everybody else being screwed up, it is far, far, far more likely that he’s the one who’s screwed up.

If it feels like it’s you versus the world, chances are it’s really just you versus yourself.

Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because she has failed at it more than you have. If someone is worse than you, it’s likely because he hasn’t been through all of the painful learning experiences you have.

We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at. If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed.

Life is about not knowing and then doing something anyway.

Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.

If you lack the motivation to make an important change in your life, do something—anything, really—and then harness the reaction to that action as a way to begin motivating yourself.

When the standard of success becomes merely acting—when any result is regarded as progress and important, when inspiration is seen as a reward rather than a prerequisite—we propel ourselves ahead. We feel free to fail, and that failure moves us forward.

Ultimately, the only way to achieve meaning and a sense of importance in one’s life is through a rejection of alternatives, a narrowing of freedom, a choice of commitment to one place, one belief, or (gulp) one person.

We all must give a f*ck about something, in order to value something. And to value something, we must reject what is not that something.

The desire to avoid rejection at all costs, to avoid confrontation and conflict, the desire to attempt to accept everything equally and to make everything cohere and harmonize, is a deep and subtle form of entitlement.

The difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship comes down to two things: 1) how well each person in the relationship accepts responsibility, and 2) the willingness of each person to both reject and be rejected by their partner.

The mark of an unhealthy relationship is two people who try to solve each other’s problems in order to feel good about themselves. Rather, a healthy relationship is when two people solve their own problems in order to feel good about each other.

Entitled people who blame others for their own emotions and actions do so because they believe that if they constantly paint themselves as victims, eventually someone will come along and save them, and they will receive the love they’ve always wanted. Entitled people who take the blame for other people’s emotions and actions do so because they believe that if they “fix” their partner and save him or her, they will receive the love and appreciation they’ve always wanted.

It can be difficult for people to recognize the difference between doing something out of obligation and doing it voluntarily. So here’s a litmus test: ask yourself, “If I refused, how would the relationship change?” Similarly, ask, “If my partner refused something I wanted, how would the relationship change?”

It’s not about giving a f*ck about everything your partner gives a f*ck about; it’s about giving a f*ck about your partner regardless of the f*cks he or she gives.

Conflict exists to show us who is there for us unconditionally and who is just there for the benefits.

For a relationship to be healthy, both people must be willing and able to both say no and hear no.

When trust is destroyed, it can be rebuilt only if the following two steps happen: 1) the trust-breaker admits the true values that caused the breach and owns up to them, and 2) the trust-breaker builds a solid track record of improved behavior over time.

Death is the light by which the shadow of all of life’s meaning is measured.

Confronting the reality of our own mortality is important because it obliterates all the crappy, fragile, superficial values in life.

You are going to die, and that’s because you were fortunate enough to have lived.

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Summary & Infographic

posted on August 30, 2021

A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F summary

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Life gets busy. Has The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck been gathering dust on your bookshelf? Instead, learn the key insights now with this summary.

We’re scratching the surface in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck summary. If you don’t already have the book, order it here or get the audiobook for free to learn the juicy details.

Mark Manson’s Perspective

Mark Manson is an American self-help author and blogger. He started his first blog on dating advice in 2008. It became hugely popular and gained hundreds of thousands of readers. In 2009, Manson decided to travel the world for the next seven years while working remotely. He ended up visiting more than 65 countries. In 2010, he started a new blog called Post Masculine which provided general life advice for men. On this blog, he posted an article under the same name as this book. The article was so well received he decided to turn it into a book. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck went on to become a New York Times best seller.

Manson has been featured on NBC, CNN, Fox News, the BBC and Time magazine. In October 2018, Penguin Random House announced that Manson would work with Will Smith to write the actor’s autobiography. Manson’s work has been translated into more than 60 languages.

Listen to the Audiobook Summary

Introduction.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is designed to help clarify what you choose to find important in your life, essentially what you choose to give a f*ck about. We often don’t realize how frequently we’re giving a f*ck about something that doesn’t matter. Manson aims to help you spot when you are placing too much importance on self-help ideas and how to start giving a f*ck about the most important things.

The book has sold over 13 million copies. According to Amazon, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was the most-read nonfiction book in 2017.

StoryShot #1 – Manson’s Law of Avoidance: Avoid Constantly Pursuing Satisfaction

Before he became a famous author, Bukowski was an alcoholic gambler who was frequently rejected by publishers. It was not until Bukowski turned 50 that an editor finally accepted a piece of his work. The public and media described his story as the American dream. But Bukowski knew the reality: He was still a loser. He wasn’t a best-selling author. He was fine with this, though. This self-acceptance is what drew so many people to him and his books. Bukowski has the words “Don’t try” written on his gravestone.

This approach is entirely different from modern society’s expectations of how we can become happier, richer, healthier and more successful by merely wanting it. Manson believes this approach means we will feel like we are never enough. True happiness is caring only about essential matters.

The Backwards Law was introduced by the British philosopher Alan Watts. The idea is that the more you pursue feeling better, the less satisfied you become. Constantly pursuing satisfaction will reinforce that you lack it in the first place. Manson rephrases this as:

The pursuit of positive experience is itself a negative experience.
The acceptance of negative experience is itself a positive experience.

So, you can create positive experiences through the tolerance of negative experiences.

StoryShot #2 – Stop Believing You Are Unique

Manson believes that self-help books and modern society are obsessed with the idea that we are all unique. This idea has created a society of entitled people who expect everything to go right for them all the time. Entitlement is feeling as though you deserve to be happy without sacrificing for it. There are two types of entitlement:

Grandiose narcissism, which is like saying: I’m awesome and the rest of you all suck, so I deserve special treatment.
Victim narcissism, which is like saying: I suck and the rest of you are all awesome, so I deserve special treatment.

Both of these types of narcissism end up the same as they behave in the same way. They are deluded about where they lie in the social hierarchy and both think everything should be catered to benefit them. This means they are completely self-absorbed.

A study from the late 1960s correlated positive self-image with accomplishments in life. Based on this study’s findings, policymakers started to use things like participation prizes and unattainable goals to try to motivate children. Manson believes this single study has created a society that does not accept reality. The issue with not accepting reality is that people no longer use their problems as a stepping stone toward their success.

StoryShot #3 – Accept Reality As It Is

Self-help books often focus on the goal of constant happiness. Manson suggests this idea is harmful. As humans, we are naturally slightly unhappy. Dukha is a Buddhist principle that claims life is suffering. We are supposed to experience unhappiness. It helps us push on and look to achieve genuine success.

Take responsibility for your emotions and understand that tackling negative emotions is a daily struggle. Problems never stop; they just change. Manson applies this to the psychological concept called the “hedonic treadmill.” This is the idea that once we acquire what we believe will make us happy, we just find another problem. So, we should be aiming to solve problems in our lives rather than avoid them. We should not be aiming for a life without problems but a life full of good problems.

StoryShot #4 – Happiness Is a Science

Manson believes that life and happiness are related to the scientific method. Your values are hypotheses, your actions are experiments and the outcomes are data. So, we should make smart decisions based on results rather than fear, doubt or uncertainty. Uncertainty is a vital rung in the ladder to success, and we should not fear it. Uncertainty is what allows us to learn more. Uncertainty helps us understand our values are imperfect, so it guards us against extremist ideology. It also removes the judgment and stereotyping of other people.

StoryShot #5 – Values Are Essential For Happiness

Many Japanese soldiers ended up stranded on many of the Pacific Islands during the second world war. These soldiers were cut off from the rest of the world. So, they did not know that the war had ended. As a result, they continued to fight the war into the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It did not matter how strong, intelligent or motivated these soldiers were; they were destined to fail. Manson uses this analogy to highlight that without the correct values and goals leading your actions, you are f*cked.

Your deepest emotions are related to your values. And the values you fight for determine who you are. Good values are vital for your happiness, but we often focus on bad values. Chasing empty pleasure and believing that you are always right are examples of bad values. Good values are reality-based, internally achieved and socially constructive.

To support this point, Manson offers the example of guitarist Dave Mustaine. In 1983, he was kicked out of Metallica just before their big break. Mustaine spent the next two years perfecting his guitar skills. He was then able to start the band Megadeth, which would sell over 25 million records. But this success was not enough. Mustaine continued to compare himself to Metallica, who have sold over 125 million records. This meant he was still unhappy. Manson then compares Mustaine to Pete Best. Best was also kicked out of a world-renowned band: The Beatles. Watching The Beatles’ success did leave Best depressed for a while. But he ended up far happier than Mustaine because he came to a simple realization: music is more important than success. Mustaine had bad values, while Best had good values.

StoryShot #6 – Take Responsibility

As an example of the importance of taking responsibility, Manson talks about the american psychologist William James. In 1872, William James’ life was falling apart. James considered taking his own life. But late one night, James was reading lectures by the philosopher Charles Peirce. He decided to conduct an experiment. James spent one year taking full responsibility for all the negative things happening in his life. If, after 12 months, his life did not improve, he would take his own life. James’ experiment worked, and James called his emphasis on taking responsibility his rebirth. In the years that followed, he became a highly influential psychologist and philosopher. Today, he is recognized as one of the most famous psychologists ever to have lived.

The decision to take responsibility for his problems allowed James to direct all his energy to improving his life. He then improved millions of other people’s lives. When you take responsibility for a problem, you take responsibility for how that problem makes you feel.

StoryShot #7 – Choose How You Respond to Life

We cannot always choose what happens in our lives or the outcome of our decisions. But we have complete control over how we choose to respond to a problem or failure emotionally. Taking responsibility for our reactions to negative circumstances will help us better deal with problems in our lives. An individual who can do this is Manson’s definition of a successful person.

StoryShot #8 – Doubt Your Beliefs

Manson encourages us to challenge all our previously held ideas. Doubting ourselves and our actions will help us to improve over time consistently.

We won’t always be right. Manson explains that society’s beliefs 500 years ago were fundamentally wrong about several things. For example, people believed the Earth was flat and didn’t even know the Western Hemisphere existed. In the same way, you can look back at what you believed 10 or 15 years ago and notice you were also wrong about several things. The lesson to learn from this is that some of the things you hold to be true right now will likely be wrong and even ridiculous in 20 or 30 years’ time.

StoryShot #9 – Reduce Your Ego So You Can Grow

The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it. So, to reduce this level of avoidance, we have to reduce our sense of identity and ego. We must identify ourselves as loosely and ambiguously as possible. To help you start identifying yourself more loosely, you should start asking yourself these three questions:

What if I’m wrong?
What would it mean if I were wrong?
Would being wrong create a better or worse problem than my current problem, for both myself and others?

StoryShot #10 – Failure Is Key to Improvement

Manson believes that failure is a hugely important part of life. Becoming an expert in anything requires thousands of failures. These failures are what help you to fine-tune your approach through continuous improvement. This is why fear of failure leads to stagnation.

Instead of worrying when we fail, we should try again.

StoryShot #11 – It’s Better to Do Something Than Do Nothing

Manson’s high school math teacher introduced this principle to him. This teacher always taught his students to rewrite the problem if they didn’t know the answer. Rewriting the problem allows your mind to find the next step. Manson has since applied this principle to everything in his life. If you are stuck, then just do something, and you will often surprise yourself. Instead of motivation leading to action, the “do something principle” argues that action leads to motivation.

StoryShot #12 – Say No So You Can Say Yes

To truly stand for one thing, you must first reject another issue. Being open toward everything thrown at you will only mean you spread yourself too thin. It is more joyful choosing one pursuit and consistently committing to bettering yourself. Manson explains you also cannot truly enjoy something if you don’t reject the alternatives.

Final Summary and Review of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck challenges the self-help industry whose books argue that we should be constantly searching for more happiness and success. Manson points out that this approach will leave you even less satisfied, as you notice all that you lack. So, instead of giving a f*ck about everything, you have to choose what to give a f*ck about.

The three subtleties that describe the art of not giving a f*ck are:

Not giving a f*ck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable being different.
To not give a f*ck about adversity, you must first give a f*ck about something more important than the adversity.
And finally, whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a f*ck about.

Based ont this summary, we rate The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck 4.6/5.

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F PDF, Free Audiobook, and Animated Book Summary

This was the tip of the iceberg of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F. To dive into the details and support Mark Manson, order the book or get the audiobook for free on Amazon.

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Related Book Summaries

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Everything Is F*cked by Mark Manson

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop

Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

10% Happier by Dan Harris

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Feeling Good by David D. Burns

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Reader Interactions

September 8, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Thanks of sharing the summary of so many great books.

Shared with my family Summaries of:

Power of your Subconscious Mind You are a badass The art of not giving a f*ck The Four Agreements

Thank you so much for making this possible ??????

November 19, 2021 at 3:51 pm

This comment made our day! Thanks for choosing us.

September 8, 2023 at 10:47 am

Great book I’ve gained a lot Now I definitely know what to give a f*ck about.

September 8, 2023 at 11:36 am

Fantastic! Thanks for your comment and reading our summary, Kaibs.

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book.
A book review will offer an evaluation of the work.
A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience.

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim. To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

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10 Fantastic World War II Books by Female Authors

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How to Stop Giving a F***
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THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK
The well-known memoirist (Wild), novelist (Torch), and radio-show host ( "Dear Sugar") pulls lines from her previous pages and delivers them one at a time in this small, gift-sized book. No excerpt exceeds one page in length, and some are only one line long. Strayed doesn't reference the books she's drawing from, so the quotes stand ...
7 Lessons Learned from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Table of Contents. Lesson 1: Nobody Likes an Apathetic Bastard, Not Even You! Lesson 2: You Only Have a Limited Amount of Fucks to Give, Choose Wisely! Lesson 3: Problems Are Inevitable! But…. You Can Choose Your Future Problems. How to Create Better Problems in Your Life! The One Question to Ask Yourself.
About The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, ... The New York Times Book Review - Judith Newman. This book hits you like a much-needed slap in the face from your best friend: hilarious, vulgar, and immensely thought-provoking. Only read if you're willing to set aside all excuses and take an active role in living a f ...
The Biggest Takeaways from 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck'
Photo from The Book of Sarah. A firm mindset is everything in 2021 and beyond. Life is filled with so many different distractions, people, and media who push their beliefs and philosophies onto ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Book Review. The book deals with society's pre-occupation with positive experiences and treating any negative experience as wrong, to be removed from life. This pre-occupation with 'positive experiences' has created a generation of people having unrealistic expectations, who feel entitled and who have ...
BOOK REVIEW: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
It makes more sense in the book, I promise. I opened this book expecting a sarcastic, kind of satirical commentary on emotions, and how to come across as cool and collected in front of others, but ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, ... A good yardstick by which self-improvement books should be measured." -- Kirkus Reviews. From the Back Cover. New York Times Bestseller.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. #1 New York Times Bestseller • More than 10 million Copies Sold In this ...
Morrie&Me
written by Mark Manson, published by HarperCollinsPublishersgenre self-help / personal development, 204 pages. I guess it's not possible that you haven't seen or heard about 'The subtle art of not giving a f*ck - a counterintuitive approach to living a good life' because it's one of those number one bestselling books that keep on ...
7 Important Lessons I Got from "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Lesson 7 —You'll die. Embrace it. Yes! The only certainty you can have in life (still uncertain to some extent), is that you'll fucking die.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" is a book that challenges conventional wisdom and societal norms, forcing you to question your values and priorities. It encourages self-reflection and introspection, prompting you to reevaluate what truly matters to you. ... Overall I would say READ THIS BOOK. Ignore the 1* reviews, I think anyone giving ...
Book review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
The book can be seen as a guide to deal with this inevitable suffering " more mindfully, with more compassion and more humility " and as well to redefine your priorities and letting go of the unimportant items. The topics mentioned in the book are logical and the points of Mark Manson make huge sense. These are illustrated with interesting ...
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Amazon.in - Buy The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck : A Counterintuitive Approach To Living A Good Life book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck : A Counterintuitive Approach To Living A Good Life book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. Free delivery on qualified orders.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
The Book in Three Sentences. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a book that challenges the conventions of self-help by inviting the reader to NOT try, say no often and embrace negative thinking. Not giving a f*ck is about being comfortable with being different and caring about something more important than adversity.
How to Not Give a F: Understanding & Defeating Social Anxiety
Starting with the reasons why you need to stop caring about what people think about you, and then moving on to how to actually do it, this book will give you a new lease for life and a firm grasp of your own existence, helping you to enjoy every moment without fear of social anxieties. Don't waste your life being a people pleaser , moulding ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Summary & Infographic
Not giving a f*ck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable being different. To not give a f*ck about adversity, you must first give a f*ck about something more important than the adversity. And finally, whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a f*ck about. Rating. Based ont this summary, we rate ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Animated Summary
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. I go over the key takeaways I learned in this book.Hey everyone! After reading 100+ books on business and personal devel...
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck
A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. Dimensions (Overall): 8 Inches (H) x 1 Inches (W) x 5 Inches (D) Weight: 1 Pounds.
Book Review: The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up explains how to rid yourself of unwanted obligations, shame, and guilt-and give your f*cks instead to people and things that make you happy. The easy-to-use, two-step NotSorry Method for mental decluttering will help you unleash the power of not giving a f*ck about: Family drama. Having a "bikini body".
Subtle Art Of Not Giving A #@%! : A Counterintuitive Approach ...
Summary and Analysis of the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life - (Smart Summaries) by Worth Books ... Helpful Not helpful Report review. Give it a read. 4 out of 5 stars. Thumbs up graphic, ... As soon as I started reading it I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I believe everyone can ...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a f Book Review
I used to constantly obsess over an issue that I complained about. As a solution, I read this book. Yes, this book didn't provide a solution for me, and I still obsess over some things. However ...
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking. Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry's Freefall, a crime novel: In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it's a more subtle process, and that's OK too.

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7 Lessons Learned from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Lesson 1: Nobody Likes an Apathetic Bastard, Not Even You!

Lesson 2: You Only Have a Limited Amount of Fucks to Give, Choose Wisely!

Lesson 3: Problems Are Inevitable! But… You Can Choose Your Future Problems

How to Create Better Problems in Your Life!

The One Question to Ask Yourself

Lesson 4: Choose Your Company by Your Values

Lesson 5: When You Feel Stuck Get Started Anyway

Lesson 6: Your Situation Doesn’t Matter Nearly as Much as Your Perspective

Lesson 7: Pretend You’re an Outsider Looking at Your Life, What Would You Say?

Not Giving a Fuck Truly Is an Art!

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Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson

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The subtle art of not giving a fuck

‘The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.’

‘Wanting positive experience is itself a negative experience; accepting negative experience is a positive experience.’

‘When you give better fucks, you get better problems and you get a better life!’

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

The Book in Three Sentences

The Five Big Ideas

What Not Giving a F*ck Means

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A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

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StoryShot #1 – Manson’s Law of Avoidance: Avoid Constantly Pursuing Satisfaction

StoryShot #2 – Stop Believing You Are Unique

StoryShot #3 – Accept Reality As It Is

StoryShot #4 – Happiness Is a Science

StoryShot #5 – Values Are Essential For Happiness

StoryShot #6 – Take Responsibility

StoryShot #7 – Choose How You Respond to Life

StoryShot #8 – Doubt Your Beliefs

StoryShot #9 – Reduce Your Ego So You Can Grow

StoryShot #10 – Failure Is Key to Improvement

StoryShot #11 – It’s Better to Do Something Than Do Nothing

StoryShot #12 – Say No So You Can Say Yes

Final Summary and Review of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

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10 Fantastic World War II Books by Female Authors

The Best Books of 2019: 50 Reads That Stole Our Hearts