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

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 experience. 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. 

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.”

Book Review:

I don’t usually go for self-help books because they are all the same. Same clichés that are easy to say but difficult to do. And I prefer reading a story then process all the learning from that and try to apply it in my life rather than telling me exactly or even a step by step of what to do and feed me with all the positivity. This book by Mark Manson was an exception though, it quite slaps you with reality. A fact that life isn’t easy, that happiness isn’t a goal but a process. I would say that this book is a rebel in our culture today that is focused on unrealistic positive expectations. The author even adds up a couple of stories based on real life events that is a total spot on in highlighting his message and points. It’s very entertaining and funny. The best thing that I got from reading this book is that we should chill out and stop overthinking as the more we overthink things the less we get successful with it. At the same time, it’s about enjoying the process of this life. This book is highly recommended for people who overthink (*coughs) and those who are lost in the vastness of this life. 

Rating: 3/5

(Photo taken by my good friend Sarah)

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