How to Ruin Your Life

Rating:
Summary: Witty and funny
Review: Ben Stein has been a securities lawyer, a Nixon speech writer, a game-show host, a journalist, and a speaker on success and financial management. If there's a wittier polymath out there I don't know who it is.

This book takes a perversely witty approach to the subject of success, not by showing you what makes for success, but by showing you 35 things you can do to avoid it. The book consists of brief essays on each of these topics, which include subjects such as never learn any useful skills, be perfectionistic, constantly criticize and never say anything nice to anybody, and in general, act like a jerk to anyone and everybody, including your friends and family (who needs them anyway?).

Stein says he got the idea for the book because, as he points out in the introduction, he's done more things in life than most people, and so he's had more opportunities to see people screw up perfectly good careers and lives than just about anybody else, too. So if you understand what these things are and avoid them, you may not become amazingly successful, but you'll probably do all right and possibly will become a great success yourself someday.

Rating:
Summary: Need an attitude adjustment (served with a smile)?
Review: I just discovered this jewel, and I would have to say this is one of the best books I've read in years. Now I'm going to stock up on copies to give out as gifts.

Of course, Ben Stein has a wonderfully sharp wit, which is just perfect for getting his point across. Young people see him on the Comedy Channel and know he's "cool", so they'll pick up this little book and give him a chance. But the book is straight on in its advice and wisdom.

This book should be required reading for everyone and most certainly should be a graduation gift for every student you know. Plus, it's the perfect size for stuffing into Christmas stockings.

Rating:
Summary: Best. Book. Ever.
Review: This book has so many little common mistakes that people make without even realizing the catastrophic effects, and Ben Stein is just as funny as ever. This is a good, quick read that everyone should pick up.

Rating:
Summary: Best on the CD.
Review: This is great material from a wry observer of human (and his own) nature. I don't know about the book, but I highly recommend the CD. Stein reads.

Rating:
Summary: You'll Think of People You Know When Reading the Book
Review: With thousands of books on how to improve one's life, it is refreshing to see one that tells you how to ruin it. One is bound to see countless examples of ideas on how to ruin's one life that people consistantly engange in (i.e., not saving money, or using drugs.) While the book has a humorous spin to it, it is important to realize that it is not easy to be a complete failure. It actually requires work. When you look at the bums on the street, you can quickly see that they have taken Ben Stein's ideas seriously--not saving money, engang in illegal behavior, not making friends, harming their family, and failing to work. If you see any of your current behaviors described in this book, it should cause a serious change in one's personality! After all, we all know how to be a success (we see self-help books all the time), but do we really know the ingredients of failure? If so, let's at least learn how to avoid them! Thanks Ben! I'll do my best not to take your advice. Ha.