The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

by Mark Manson

New York Times Bestseller 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 modern 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.

• ISBN10: 0062457713
• ISBN13: 9780062457714
• Publish Date: 17 November 2016 (first published 13 September 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperOne
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[CrowNoYami]

I loved this book. Mark Manson has a way of making you stop and think not only about how you perceive your own life but the lives of those around you. I've had to stop reading several times to ponder upon my choices and where I am in the grand scheme that we call life, and while I'm no psychiatrist, my point of view may have shifted.

[moraa]

Fresh and eye-opening. I really enjoyed it.

[einthe]

Read this book out of curiosity, especially seeing the mixed reviews.

I quickly came ot the conclusion that this is an afwul book and didn't tell me anything new. It mostly just quoted other people and referenced points that have been made already by different, more competent writers. Waste of time.

[Angie]

“While not giving a fuck may seem simple on the surface, it’s a whole new bag of burritos under the hood. I don’t even know what that sentence means, but I don’t give a fuck. A bag of burritos sounds awesome, so let’s just go with it.”
🌯
“While there’s something to be said for ‘staying on the sunny side of life,’ the truth is, sometimes life sucks, and the healthiest thing you can do is admit it.”

[inlibrisveritas]

I doubt I'll do a full review for this one since it took me so long to get around to actually finishing it. I started this as an audiobook with my boyfriend, but we eventually stopped listening and moved on to other things. I figured I would finally finish it off on my own since it was super short and I was like 70% of the way through anyway.

I don't remember a ton form the first half, unfortunately, and since I already live my life in a somewhat similar fashion (attitude-wise) I didn't really internalize much of what he personally said. Some of it comes off as self-indulgent, as he tells you about his life and all the lessons he learned along the way but what else do you expect from self-help books these days?