MY REVIEW: I chose this book to review based on being a psychotherapist and
my interest in the mind, why people do what they do, and knowledge of the human condition.
I am also an editor, publisher, and author, and can’t help but review books with a critical eye, not only for content, but for the overall layout and effect. This book didn’t pass muster on first glance. Black and white simple cover art is fine. Sometimes simpler is better than too “busy” of a cover image. No problems there. But my first indication of amateur experience was the front cover where the so-called publisher’s address is right there on the cover. Publishers put a logo maybe, but not a PO box for accepting mail right there on the front cover. No. So I tried to google the publisher name to see if they had any other books published, but google turned up nothing, which confirmed my suspicion: Self-pub! So then I turn the book over and review the back cover. No title at the top, and extra spacing issues and other mistakes scream “amateur” on the back cover. By this point I haven’t even looked at the interior, but judging the book by the cover, I don’t have high hopes.
I couldn’t focus on the interior. I’m sorry; too many errors in punctuation, sentence structure, and syntax made it hard to focus on the message. This is yet another supposed “self-help” book written by someone not a professional in the field of psychology who happens to think they know more than the average person and thinks they have the authority to tell others what to do. This should have been a memoir and should have been professionally edited and published if it were to be taken seriously. Missing periods at the end of a sentence and other simple editing errors made this book too difficult and frustrating to finish reading. ONE STAR RATING. A $16.00 price tag on the back cover when it’s not even worth maybe $5. Someone without a psychology degree who gave a basic outline of simple psych 101 ideas of how to think for oneself. I’m all for people sharing their personal revelations of how they managed to get their life in order if they want to. Write a memoir. But just because a person had an epiphany on how to think, or how the brain works, this doesn’t warrant writing a self-help book and telling the world you are an expert on the subject. Trust me: Therapists try to get people to think for themselves all the time. Nothing in this book was a new revelation or anything you wouldn’t learn in a therapy session from someone trained in the subject matter. It’s basic material. ONE STAR.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions are my own.