“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK” by Mark Manson

Book Review by Amy Schuster

I read this book a couple of years ago while I was stuck on a houseboat in Lake Powell after my mom handed it to me. I’m usually not a big fan of philosophical/self help material but this book immediately caught my attention because of the profanity in the title (is my immaturity showing yet?). I must say, whether you are a cockeyed optimist, like myself, or a pessimist, you will LOVE this book! The overall message of this book is that you don’t need to be positive all of the time. Challenges, change, and failure are inevitable. What we need to become better at is handling curve balls that are thrown our way. What really distinguishes ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F’ from other self help material aside from his vulgar language, sarcasm, and wit is that Manson doesn’t sugar coat his thoughts on how to succeed in life. He keeps it real and practical. His words “F*ck positivity” are clickbait for readers. The stories he shares are delicately woven into each lesson he touches on. 
This book has many takeaways. Here are just a few of them:
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1. Don’t give a f (I mean, “darn”) over the small stuff. Instead, distinguish what gives your life value and meaning and focus on giving these areas more care. This will increase the satisfaction and fulfillment in your life. 
2.  It is okay for life to be mundane sometimes, as long as you find something that makes you happy.
3. Failure, suffering, and pain enable success and growth. 

This book was thoroughly entertaining as well as informative from start to finish. I can not recommend this book enough. I would give this book 9/10 stars. ​