Review: How To Be Fine

The Reader’s Digest of self-help books! As an absolute junkie of this genre (I’ve probably read hundreds at this stage…) of course I had to pick this one up. I feel like the world of self-help is an interesting community, and one of which I haven’t met a single person who could relate. So I was excited to see two others who have been on the same journey and understood. Sometimes when I read the book it felt like I was having a good ranting session about some of the ideas I encountered-so many times it felt like I was saying “I know right?” The authors sum up their adventures in self-help in a very organized and efficient manner- but still left a lot of great moments that had me laughing along with them.

Overall, I would say this book is for two groups of people-either those who absolutely adore self-help or those who have zero interest but want to know the grand gist of what these books are saying. They cover 50 of the most well-known books in this genre of all time (including authors Dale Carnegie, Rachel Hollis, and Bene Brown) and they summarize the good and bad in a very quick and easy package. They break down some of the ideas in a language that is accessible for most people- especially those who have never heard these terms before. A part I particularly enjoyed in these books was the comments that were included in from listeners of their podcast. It allowed for different opinions to be brought up and considered- something that many authors are afraid of doing.

 Large fans of self-help will laugh along with Greenberg and Meinzer as they discuss what worked and didn’t work for them- and it will be like being a part of a book club. Those who did not read these books will be grateful for the cliff notes and take home a few pieces of good advice. It is a fun read and a quick one- great for a self-care night or a day on the beach.

If you do read the book, I highly recommend checking out their podcast “By the Book”. It is here where the book was actually started. To this day they are still reading and evaluating books as well as bringing in guest speakers. It is a lot of fun to listen to on a commute or throughout your work day.

- Jules M.

Read more here: How To Be Fine - Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer