Category / #Review

Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK.

Series: – 

Author: Mark Manson

Publisher: HarperOne

Number of Pages: 210

ISBN: 780062641540

My rating:

Read / Listened

Why I read it?: 

I read this book because my boyfriend has it in his bookcase and the title had intrigued me. It sounded like a good and honest book and I thought I might be able to give me some tips on the matter.

Summary:

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, Manson 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.

There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experiences. 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 humour, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.

My opinion:

I didn’t have high expectations of this book and I thought I would enjoy it a little bit, but as it turned out I love this book. Maybe it’s because I’ve listened to it or because I listened to at the right time; I don’t know, but what I do know is that I love the brutal honesty of the author. The way to book is written is very well done and by listening to it made me enjoy the book even more. Throughout the book, Mark gave great examples which are very relatable like the one about trust is like a plate, when you break it once it may be fixed again but break it more it keeps getting harder to fix. I also loved Disappointment Panda – and his voice. The narrator of the audiobook did a great voice for him.

I would recommend this book to everyone. There are a few life lessons in there which will help me give a little less fucks and help me focus on what’s worth giving a fuck about!

<3 Samantha