The Consumer’s Corner

‘How To Be Totally Miserable.’ Really catchy title, huh? This (very short) book is actually a pretty decent read if you have a spare hour or so. In general, self help books really are not my thing; I’m of the opinion that if you’re really ready to change the direction of your life, a simple book will be fairly useless in it’s ability sway you one way or the other (The Bible, and other sacred texts excluded).

In my eyes, barring chemical/medical issues, you either have the desire and drive to be happy and successful, or you do not. At one time I certainly didn’t; I was unhappy, then became tired of being unhappy. One day I decided to do something about it,started blogging on a whim, and found some moderate success. Just the tiniest amount of success gave me the desire to go out and try other things; it’s truly amazing what a minuscule amount of confidence can do for someone.

‘How To Be Totally Miserable’ is written in direct contrast compared to most self help books; it doesn’t tell you the sure fire ways to make yourself happy, instead it fills you in on the best ways to make absolutely sure you remain as miserable as possible. The style is really cool, and adds a bit of humor. Great creativity on the part of the author, John Bytheway.

Half the book is full of timeless quotes that are worth ‘the price of admission’ alone. You get snippets from Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and many other great minds; not only of our ‘time,’ but ancient proverbs as well. Reading some of those extraordinary gems really made me think, and they will you too.

I’m going to go ahead and inform you John Bytheway is a Mormon motivational speaker, and the book does contain several Biblical references. If you’re nonreligious, please don’t let that scare you away; ‘How To Be Totally Miserable’ is not ‘preachy’ in any way. Likewise, if you are a member of one of the more conservative sects of Christianity (like me), no denominational agendas are pushed. I’d be the very first one to yell if it were so, trust me.

The recommended audience for ‘How To Be Totally Miserable’ is older teens, or college age adults. I think, if you at least give it a shot, anyone can find something of use in it. Look for it (with a magnifying glass, I wasn’t kidding about it being small) in big chain bookstores, Christian bookstores, and Mormon establishments. $5.95 is the cover price, but you’ll be able to find it cheaper. Library might be worth a shot as well. Recommended, and enjoy!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

how to be totally miserable, john bytheway, books, self help

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 7:38 pm and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.