Rating: 
Summary: How I was hooked
Review: Please do not stop reading this based upon title of this book. Trust me, you will thank me later! Admittedly, this cringe-worthy title question has become the bane of this second-semester senior's very existence. So when I happened upon it in an airport bookstore, I regarded it as yet another reminder of my looming, uncertain future. Considering I had some time to kill (my flight was delayed...again), I figured a book couldn't damage my morale anymore than my parents had already. Thirty pages later, I threw some money at the cashier and was running to make the final boarding call for my flight. I was hooked.In his New York Times best-selling book, What Should I Do With My Life, Po Bronson bravely breathes new life into a topic previously overshadowed by confusion and doubt. Bronson observes that while preaching the importance of career-minded thought, society rarely permits us the time to explore what it is we are actually passionate about. After interviewing nearly a thousand people, Bronson condensed his research to 50+ short anecdotes investigating the experiences of those who stopped passing through life and started actively engaging it. These career changes range from drastic 180s to small alterations: A career counselor who ironically hated his profession, a lawyer who found satisfaction in making cakes, or a businessman who discovered he was happiest in Hong Kong. Bronson is quick to point out that although not all were successful, each person faced this ultimate question head-on and came out with greater personal clarity. This is not a how-to book of answers. As Bronson points out, to assert such an arrogant claim would be insulting to the reader's individuality. Instead, Bronson interjects his own battles to abandon bond sales for the unstable yet stimulating world of writing. The author even admits that during the creation of his book, he "...learned to see the extraordinary in the once cast-away ordinary." These are everyday people yet their accomplishments make them uniquely attention worthy. Prompted from his diverse research, Bronson dares the reader to ignite his or her own pursuit of self-discovery. The energy this book generates is infectious. By revolutionizing a once clichéd question, What Should I Do With My Life has generated exceptional feedback worldwide. His book has prompted thousands to take the time to better understand themselves, and in doing so, has inspired a movement of people no longer settling for 'good enough' but instead demanding a personally rewarding career. Ultimately, Po Bronson conveys that although "obvious questions don't have obvious answers," it's the essential struggle with these questions that will yield the most fulfilling outcomes.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommend
Review: If you're looking for a self-help book or an easy answer to the question used as the book's title then don't bother buying it. But if you want to read about how others made critical changes in their lives and how they overcame the excuses that most of us make then you should buy this book. If I could afford to buy this for all of my friends then I would have done it months ago.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, Life Changing Book
Review: Reading this book changed my life. The stories continually inspired me to be more open to the instincts within me, the "crazy" ideas that most people dismiss when the voice whispers within them. It reminded me over and over, story after story, that people CAN succeed by living outside of the lines. I am surprised that the average number of stars from these reviews is only 3. It makes me wonder if perhaps some readers are feeling bad about themselves and the path they've chosen, and misdirecting that criticism to the writer instead of honestly confronting themselves. If you approach this book with an open, willing mind, it has the potential and power to change your life. Po Bronson's comments are insightful as well. All in all, I'm incredibly thankful that I came across this book.
Rating:
Summary: Open Your Mind To See
Review: This is a well written, interesting, and inspiring book. The subject deals with the ultimate question of what really makes one happy. It is not a self-help book; nor does it offer career advice. Instead, the book is a collection of short stories of people who struggled with the question "what should I do with my life?" No book is written for everyone. It is amazing to see how closed minded and opinionated book reviewers can be when they disagree. However, harsh criticism, including personal verbal attack, is not the way to prove one's intelligence or literary taste.
Rating: 
Summary: Why me?
Review: Hoping to find inspiration in this book, I did find some. At least my life isn't as condescending and dull as Po Bronson's. Thank you for sharing some of the dullest stories I've ever read (although I'm sure they COULD be interesting if told by another less self absorbed writer). Also, your views of Texas, San Antonio and Alamo Heights are clouded. I think Po Bronson has potential as a writer (and as a person) if he would stop believing that the world revolves around him. Just look at his web site...gads!
Rating:
Summary: Massive waste of time
Review: I am upset at how much of a waste this book was ,nothing useful or insightful just unfinished stories of quick coffee cup meetings with people in flux.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, inspirational
Review: I was thrilled by this book, because I ask myself the title question all the time. I'm not sure, but it seems like not everyone does. And, perhaps, asking the question itself is an indication that you're not doing what you should be. So, to read about other people asking the same question, people actually doing things to change their lives was inspirational. And, although, I'm not sure the book changed my life, I'm really glad I read it. I think about things differently now. I'm always in a hurry. I want everything right now. But, that's not the way it usually happens, Bronson says. People slowly get there, and when they're there, sometimes they don't even know. And, shockingly some of them throw it away, and end up starting over again. It made me think that my passions are attainable. However, the book is not perfect. I liked that Bronson injected his own story into his stories about other people. I found his story the most interesting of them all. He came off as likable, and his fear of commitment and having a child is one I think many of my generation can relate to. I also liked that Bronson befriended his interviewees and perhaps even steered them closer to their goals. I thought that Bronson treated his subjects with compassion, although at times I felt like he was a tad condescending. Sadly, the people in Bronson's book seemed really similar to each other. First and foremost, they all seemed to have money. And, it's a lot easier to achieve a dream with money, and thus not quite as interesting or inspirational or realistic. Plus, not all, but many were from the San Francisco and L.A. areas of the United States, like Bronson is. I would have been interested to read about people less like Bronson. I couldn't relate to a large number of the people he chose for the book. That said, most of the people he chose were interesting. It was intriguing in a slightly voyeuristic way to get an inside view into the lives of normal people, not celebrities. The lesson is important: don't lose sight of your passion. And, it's a lesson I needed when I saw this book. So, I recommend it to others asking themselves the title question. You won't wake up the next morning with an answer to the question, but it will probably help you redefine your goals and show you that there is no one definition for success, no one American Dream. One man's paradise is another man's hell. You have to carve out your own happiness. And, most of all, it will comfort you that finding your passion tends not to happen overnight.
Rating:
Summary: What Should I Do With Po's Ego?
Review: This book was a terrible disappointment -- rather than thoughtfully exploring existential questions, Bronson supplants his subjects' stories with his own, constantly injecting his successful-millionaire-writer-who's-lost-his-way angst into anecdotes that might be insightful or instructive otherwise. Really, a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Has the power to be life-changing...
Review: I'm pretty shocked by the negative reviews of this book, and can only ascertain it's because the true-life stories do stir some uncomfortable feelings - namely, they may cause you to truly look at yourself, at your career choices and ask - is this what I was put on this planet to do? Am I here (in this job) just for the money/status/security/promises made to others? Can I make ends meet and still enjoy what I do?
I don't think these questions are just asked by the idly rich or middle-class, or by, as one other reviewer put it, "trust-fund babies". To think that is, frankly, classist. Everyone, regardless of whether you're a have or a have-not asks themselves these questions, wants to feel their life wasn't in vain, hopes to make some kind of mark, and this book illustrates people from all walks of life trying to come to terms with just that.
If you're looking for a book that will help you bury your heart, and turn a blind eye to your dreams and dread everytime you punch in at the time clock, then this is not the book for you. If you're open to change, possibly yearning for it, this book may come at precisely the right time in your life.
Some of the reviewers have labeled the author pretentious/cocky/self-righteous. I found an author with a passionate set of opinions and a skill at conveying them clearly, and plainly, without metaphor or frou-frou. It saddens me to think we may be living in age where we crucify those authors willing to put their ideas in print...
If you really want to know what this book is like, look at the first few pages, which are letters that readers have felt compelled enough to send to the author. If these letters resonate with you, buy the book. It means you're ready and not afraid of change.
Rating: 
Summary: Answer: Spend it doing other things than reading this book!
Review: The title is what makes this book sell well, not the content. I was intrigued by the hope for personal stories that added insight to figuring out one's path. This book is so obviously a self-indulgent journey for Bronson, who often interjects his own advice to the subjects throught their stories. From they way it is written, one would think Bronson has all the answers and that each person written about is so glad to have gained such wonderful knowledge from him. I have never experienced an author come across so cocky. What makes him a guru of how to choose a career path? While some of the stories were slighty interesting to read, the lack of any useful information along with the grandiose way in which the author views his own opinion, I would recommend spending your time on something more productive.
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