The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

I had heard about this book when it came out in 2016 and never got around to reading it. But, this past Christmas my husband got me a Kindle and I entered the world of Kindle Unlimited. This book popped up on my recommended reading so I thought I’d give it a shot.

And I was pleasantly surprised.

This book falls into the self-help genre and is Mark’s words on how to find more positivity and happiness. But, it’s unlike any other book in this genre I’ve read. It’s refreshingly honest but still academically sound. He doesn’t sugarcoat things and lays it out in a way that you know he’s not feeding you BS. While Mark’s delivery of content is more vulgar than other authors of similar content that I’ve read, the root of his content resonated well. And I think his style will allow his content to hit home with people who’d likely never cross paths with some of the other writers in this genre.

Mark’s vulnerability throughout his book greatly aids in readers feeling comfortable to lower their defenses and be more open to the content hitting home. I appreciated, too, that he got to the point he was making with very little extra “fluff”. This didn’t leave me wanting more, rather the points he made felt well-rounded and supported, while not adding so much extra that I got bored and lost his point.

This book is a great representation of feeling comfortable finding your lane and owning it. The way Mark writes, and the information he shares is all clearly who he genuinely is. And I felt like his owning that and embracing it, versus trying to write in a different style than he did, helps the book shine and resonate with its readers.

To give you a glimpse into his writing. Here are three Subleties he offers us on not giving a f*ck:

Subtlety #1: Not giving a fuck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different.

Subtlety #2: To not give a fuck about adversity, you must first give a fuck about something more important than adversity.

Subtlety #3: Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a fuck about.

See? Not written in a way most self-help books I’ve read are written, but by no means lacking honest, valuable, and thought-provoking content.

If you’ve been on the fence about this book, I would say to give it a shot. Or, if you desire to find more happiness and have been left desiring more from the self-help books you’ve read, then give this one a shot because it is so unique and may be just the style of content that resonates with you.