A book for 20-somethings, but not me

I think The Subtle Art... might have had more impact upon me if I was 20-something instead of 59-years-old. The language isn't really an issue (it just becomes another word that doesn't even seem to have much meaning); it's more that Manson is repetitive and doesn't offer anything original that most people haven't learned for themselves in a few decades of experience. For me, the same ideas are expressed much more elegantly, cogently, and thoroughly in The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman.

3,716 people found this helpful

NGAF - Not as simple as it sounds

Part of me bought this book because I thought it was funny and quirky, part of me bought it because I was sick of giving a f*^k about so many little things that ate up my day, I didn't have any energy for the things that really mattered.

This book isn't about throwing everything to the wind and turning in to a useless blob. It's about giving f^*ks where f^*ks deserve to be given, placing your f^*ks where they're going to do you good instead of drag you down. I highly recommend it, but if you pass on it, I really don't give a f^*k.

1,850 people found this helpful

The author doesn't give a 'F*ck' about your time

I think their is some merit to the ideas of Mark Manson, but they do not give enough content for a whole book, which was rather a waste of time. The first parts of the book were interesting, but later on it was just dragging on and on with no real content. Most of the writing is " I think" rather than "I know" - there are rarely examples or evidence. It's like a living-room chat with a friend.
You could probably sum this book up in a 20 min TED talk without losing anything that matters...

1,566 people found this helpful

He takes one concept and beats it to death for several hours

This must be a book for the intellectually challenged. He takes the Buddhist concept of suffering being the central element of life and the acceptance of this in the 21st century then hits you on the head with it for many hours. This epiphany comes after many years apparently getting it wrong and now at the sage age of 30 he rediscovers it like an undergrad sophomore and should perhaps reread his book again. Anyone who purports to get it, doesn't get it.

596 people found this helpful

AKA common sense, and buddhism reframed

Is there anything you would change about this book?

No

Would you recommend The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really, most are smarter than that

What aspect of Roger Wayne’s performance would you have changed?

He was the best part about the book

Did The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to disconnect from my Social Media

Any additional comments?

This is really basic, simple shit. I can imagine if you have no familiarity with the basic principles of Buddhism and Taoism, you might dig this. Its basic philosophy rephrased with significantly more uses of the word Fuck.

509 people found this helpful

Promising title, weak on substance

This book has a funny and intriguing title. And Audible’s editors declared it the best self development title of 2016. So, I bought it.

The book sets out a more or less complete philosophy of life. Given this, I assumed the author had lived a long life, learned and relearned profound lessons, and was at a point where he could distill which lessons were truly the most valuable.

The book starts off strong with some interesting ideas. But its assertions seem to get weaker and more debatable as the book progresses. By the end, it felt to me as if the book had lost its way.

About halfway through I found myself wondering whether my assumptions about the author were correct. I checked. Nope. He’s just a smidgen over 30.

What leads a person just out of his 20s to decide he’s qualified to instruct everyone else how they should best live their lives, I don’t know. I finally lost all faith in the author when he quoted Timothy Ferriss.

451 people found this helpful

Targets 20-somethings

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not. It has an interesting premise, and a lot of the points the author makes are useful and logical, but as a 34-year-old woman, I found it hard to relate to a lot of what the author said. It seems he's garnered most of his wisdom from years of partying and traveling. Both of those are things I haven't done extensively and don't really do now. The principles still hold true, but I probably didn't need a whole book to learn them. I think a simple blog post would do.

Which character – as performed by Roger Wayne – was your favorite?

I really liked the narrator. Even when the book became repetitive, I was able to pay attention to him, which is saying something for me.

442 people found this helpful

Cheap

Take an intro to philosophy class instead...read Plato...something with depth. This book is watered down bs...not worth the time or money.

381 people found this helpful

Shallow self help book for bros

If you prefer your self improvement advice packaged in vulgarity and frivolous stories of the author's sexual prowess, then this book is for you.

322 people found this helpful

Great book for the "everyman."

This was written well—though sometimes I found the anecdotal descriptions a little tedious or obvious.

The book is funny, direct, and for the most part, I agree with a lot of Mark Manson's ideas.

However, after listening to the book once, it seemed like his point was: "Your problems aren't that bad; don't be narcissistic; get over it." But there are some issues that are much more complicated than that—and the cause and/or result of all problems can't just be roped into selfishness, narcissism, and immaturity. Granted, these can be causes/results of behavior, but the view is limited.

In my opinion, this book is helpful for getting through the day to day minutiae and trivial problems we have in relationships and business, and perhaps not in-depth enough for those with more deep-seated issues or trauma.

All in all, this book is worth a read, if not for the entertainment value alone, but also for a crash course in how to not be a big baby about things that don't really matter in the long run. It's a good introduction into some older philosophical and religious concepts as well.

283 people found this helpful