The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I just finished this book and was glad I read it, but it's more entertaining than enlightening. Blogger Mark Manson introduces a way of thinking (or not-thinking) that you might call “stoicism with cursing.” The basic gist is that concepts are arbitrary, and the standards we use to judge ourselves are often foolish and impossible to justify. Furthermore the book serves as a commentary on current cultural norms, which focus on feelings instead of healthy pain and hard work.

Manson's prose is fun to read and his choice of anecdotes is clever and edifying. I would have preferred a different title that I would be able to explain to my kids, but I guess that wouldn't sell as many books. Manson works best when he is telling other people's stories and using them to illustrate his points. As someone older than the author I had a hard time taking him seriously when his greatest qualification is “blogger.” As with many books in this field, I skimmed the last two chapters, as Manson made his point early in the book, supported it well on the middle, then ran out of steam at the end. It got repetitive. But it was fun to read and I recommend it.