Yes, I have to confess that the title of the book drew me in. Doesn’t it interest you too? How many books do you know have that word in it (and you know which word I’m talking about) and can still be sold in book stores? Granted, it’s somewhat censored given the use of the asterisk. But still, it’s a catchy one.
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson is a self-help, inspirational book that, on the contrary, does teach you to give a f*ck about things. It’s full title is “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life”, which clues you in on what it is actually about.
Despite being a book of average length, it was a snappy read. This is largely due to Manson’s style of writing, where he adopts a conversational tone with the occasional expletive. In case you’re wondering – no, it’s not an angry rant at the world. Rather, he uses expletives at the same frequency that we would use in real life, which is precisely what makes it so easy to read. It’s like having a conversation with a real person, rather than a didactic guru telling you how to live your life.
At the same time, it’s not all about being modern and trendy. That’s a lot of crunch to the book, as he touches on topics as esoteric as death itself. The point he makes is that life is a struggle, but struggle is what gives it value. Therefore, what we choose to struggle for is perhaps the most important choice we’ll ever make.
And hence, that’s how we can appear not to give a f*ck about things – because they don’t matter.
In the process of coming to this conclusion, he overturns several common beliefs about happiness and how to lead a good life. If you’re into Thought Catalog and that sort of thing, you may be slightly offended at how he’s rather against the whole notion of romanticising your life to the point that you fail to see what’s really important. But if you have the perspective to pull away from hipster thinking, it’s an enjoyable and insightful read.
The book is certainly no “Linchpin” (which changed my life), but it’s a good reminder to stay true to the things that really matter to you. Manson is the sort of person who espouses the philosophy of knowing what you really like and value, rather than going along with the crowd (so if you’re like me, you will openly admit that you dislike concerts and you always have, so you would rather not be shelling out good money to go to some overcrowded rave with no toilets or proper air-conditioning).
If there’s one book that you should read this year, it’s this one. You might not have a billion takeaways from it, but you just need one good life-changing idea for a book to be all worth it. And hey, sometimes we need a reminder to stay true to our values and avoid the crowd, right?
For what it’s worth, I also don’t like wine that much, and I’m certainly not going to waste calories on wine in the future.
Score: 3.0/5
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” by Mark Manson is non-fiction self-help book that shows you a new philosophy of living your life.
You can buy”The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life” on Book Depository or at Kinokuniya.
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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