I think everyone has heard of this book recently as it has been in the top 10 sales lists. I will not deny that I was curious about the book, especially because of the title. In the times that we have to live, to be able to detach ourselves from things and not care enough is really an art, and if there is a book that could teach techniques for that purpose, it would be effectively a best seller. I don’t think this book lives up to it, though.
For starters, I’d like to mention the full name of the book: «The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F * ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life.» This is the second book by American author Mark Manson.
«The Subtle Art …» is a self-help book, on the one hand, and a self-help book for the author on the other, in which he describes traumatic situations from his life. I cannot say that I know the author more than I have learned from in this book, so I cannot comment on his beginnings in literature. However, I could almost say that his literary career must have started by writing therapeutically. There are many people who write about their problems, or about anything else, and this makes them feel better afterwards. It is that abstraction from reality that makes the burdens of daily life more bearable, I suppose.
The book has had an incredible reception and has reached the top ten of many international reading rankings, reaching number 1 in the New York Times Bestseller List. (In case you want to see the current list: https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/ ) I think that the success of this book depends on two elements: first, its title, very catchy, and second, the way Mark Manson writes, who mixes stories about hard realities without hesitation, and a constant use of insults. The latter makes reading his book a lot of fun, I have to admit.
I had never read a self-help book before, so it seemed like a new and different experience. While reading “the subtle art” I saw myself reflected in these stories many times, but above all, I saw many other people I know reflected there. I consider myself a very observant person, and I always thought that if I did not dedicate myself to what I do (better not to waste time on the matter), I would have liked to study psychology and analyse other people. Perhaps I would have ended up writing something very much like this book.
https://www.readinglength.com/book/isbn-0062457713 –> 3 hours and 4 minutes.
Final comment: «The subtle art of not giving a f ***» is interesting and not very long, so it could be considered a quick read, or maybe, because it is interesting, it doesn’t feel that long. It has very interesting points throughout the book, which as I said, in some I felt identified and in others, I saw other people I know, but I think that, despite everything, the author does not really offer concrete solutions. If the objective was to make us think about our problems, I think that it has been achieved with me, but beyond that, there are no solutions, but rather opinions, with which, sometimes, I agreed, and sometimes not. As a self-help book, it hasn’t really helped me. I read the book because of its title, rather than anything else, as I didn’t think I needed help in the first place. Honestly, the book is worth it for people who feel they have personal and social problems. My final comment: I’m not rushing to read any other work by the author.
Book quote: “You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get fucked.”
Keep on reading,
Questions to answer in the comments:
Have you read any self-help book? And in particular, have you read «The Subtle Art of not giving a f ***»? Did you like it? Do you agree with my final comments on the book? Have you read any similar book of the same genre that you would like to recommend? Please answer these questions in the comments section.
GG KLIMT 