JennifersLost Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Sorry - can't resist. Was it Audrey who said her reading group did this? Read a hilarious self-help book and tried to follow its advice diligently for a month? What self-help books would get us most in trouble or have the funniest results if we did this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 ... non-standard, non-genre, really good self-help book. It is called "Revolution from Within" by Gloria Steinem. You might find that it's actually got some great food for thought. Another that I feel the same way about, but about financial help, is "Your Money or Your Life" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Anything by Dr. Phil or worse...Joel Osteen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Bringing it back to the lighter side. How about some book or article that Lucy or Ethel found and then tried to follow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 This didn't go well, eh? I guess I didn't think it through. Just for the record I have used many self-help books with positive results. But I've never followed "every last bit of advice". That's the part that seemed like it could end up being funny. I like the Ethel and Lucy suggestion.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 When my kids were much younger, we had a friend from hs/kids activity type stuff who was pretty...intense. She was forever diagnosing, massaging, psychoanalyzing (that is so spelled wrong!) and in general working herself into a tizzy over her (perfectly normal) kids. This was around the time we were having oldest DD diagnosed with TS and Drs were thinking Aspergers. We didn't tell much of anyone though that this was going on, still to this day I mention it only if I have to, as does DD. Anyway, this woman came over one day for a playdate and left a book about diagnosing problems with your children at our house for us.(Most likely, as a result of DD's behaviors that we were just finding out as TS, but she never actually said specifically why, just gave us the book!) I can't remember the title (I"ll have to go comb through Amazon and look it up) but it was h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s. If I read that book, I'd be nuerotic, too. It listed totally normal childhood things, and then gave possible mental illnesses/nuero issues/physical ailments/genetic disorders that could cause said behavior. Like, bedwetting. Or fighting with siblings. Or thumb sucking. Or a million other things EVERY KID DOES. DH and I diagnosed both the girls and each other with several disorders and fatal ailments. Some of the things were legit, like violence towards animals, etc, but most of the book was way, way overboard in hysteria. DH and I laughed until we cried at the endless litany of problems our children now definitely were suffering from! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 This didn't go well, eh? I guess I didn't think it through. Just for the record I have used many self-help books with positive results. But I've never followed "every last bit of advice". That's the part that seemed like it could end up being funny. I like the Ethel and Lucy suggestion.... Awww, you can't help how people react. I don't read self help books much so I can't really contribute. I am looking forward to hearing about some of those that bombed. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I'm surprised no one has mentioned the classic: Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy. Yes, it's purposely funny, which may not be what you're intending, but even intentionally done, it's hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I've never read one. Explains a lot! :tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Me neither! I figured I was the ONLY American who hadn't read a self-help book. 'Course I guess it depends what constitutes self help, right? I found that Amusing Ourselves to Death and Last Child in the Woods were very helpful to self.... :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I don't know if this counts, but Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was, to me, really stupid and just repeated the same thing over and over until it was book length! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I've never read one. Explains a lot! :tongue_smilie: Bill Oh, man, you provided your own punch line. What fun is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Oh, man, you provided your own punch line. What fun is that? No fun at all (maybe a little :D) It was just too ripe, and I didn't want to get anyone in trouble with an irresistible temptation Play on! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Someone once gave me a book by Og Mandino. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I don't know if this counts, but Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was, to me, really stupid and just repeated the same thing over and over until it was book length! That doesn't surprise me. I remember a stink a while back about the author, that he did not actually attend the university from which he claimed to have earned a PhD. Or maybe I'm making that up. The thing that gets me is when people give you self-help books. A "friend" gave me a book called Toxic Parents some time ago. ("You're such a screw up, you need this!") I tossed it. Probably now I might find it interesting. But you have to get there, to help, your own way, you know? That same woman told me getting married would be the worst mistake of my life. Well, Denise, 18 years later, and I've made a lot of mistakes, but this marriage doesn't even count in the top 10. The one book I did find helpful that was a gift was one about Borderline Personality Disorders. Oh, and I love Your Money or Your Life. I was just thinking (because of bad job news today) that I should re-read that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I don't know if this counts, but Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was, to me, really stupid and just repeated the same thing over and over until it was book length! That was a bad one... A couple others I read (had to read most bestsellers while working for B. Dalton), Dianetics (still not sure what that was about), & The Celestine Prophecy. I was fun to watch everyone buy the newest bk, thinking this was the one, only to find a new one was to be published the next month. The fitness ones were often funny too. All kinds of odd diets and even odder exercise w/o's promising amazing results in just weeks. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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