I felt that is was an ok book. To me that is saying a lot considering that I had heard several people in the discipline of rhetoric use this book as a reference or go-to material. At least in the electronic version the interjecting text boxes to provide either examples or additional superfluous details were so cumbersome that it detracted from the reading. Furthermore on a content level a significant portion of the book was intuitive in nature (don't ruin your ethos, talk to what others want, make sure to listen , etc.)
There was also a couple of portions of the book that I think are problematic in nature. These would be the focus of rhetoric above all and concepts like truthiness. Granted, there are two sections of the book that work to remedy this concern but given that at one point the author condones lying so long as the ends justify the means, I am hesitant to use this as a blanket recommendation.
I will say that there are certain sections of the book that are actually very useful. These would be concepts of tensing, concessions, and reframing.
I was not the biggest fan of this book. Quite a bit of what it was asking the reader seemed excessive (calculating every dollar (including random money that you may have found at some point). Also, I felt that some of the suggestion on how to cut costs (just buy a house closer to work or get a different job) were a little unrealistic. I was not the biggest fan of equating money to life energy. The later parts of the book we the only redeeming thing about it in my eyes. More specifically, the discussion about bogelheads. I think that this, and largely only this, information would be useful to other readers. This is a book more geared toward someone who has no clue what their financial situation is reader than someone who is looking for better understanding finances and their utility/importance.
Ok. I'm going to be honest. I do not know why this book is lauded as one of the best in the “self help” genre. It reads very similar to plenty of other books and more importantly doesnt have a unique take to it. I find it very difficult to recommend
I think this is one of those books that is slightly overrated. It is often touted as seminal work in the world of behavioral economics. It, however, doesnt delve into the underpinnings of human cognition to the extent that I would have liked. Yes, there are plenty of example for you to fill in the blanks in but it doesnt do it justice in terms of why things are the way they are and how/why we allowed it to get to this point.
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