Rating: 
Summary: A real gem to come back to.
Review: After a friend sat and read excerpts from this book to me, I knew I had to have my own copy. I promise you, I sat in a cafe after buying it and was almost spitting coffee everywhere I was laughing so much. It's the ultimate anti-self-help book and everyone has their favourite bits. Mine? In the "Suggested prayers" section: "Dear God, I understand that if I fail to believe in you, I'll burn in hell for all eternity. Thanks for being such a good sport about it."There are bits that are bound to offend some people, but then that's their own problem. It's already been said but this book really does take the thoughts you thought no-one else had and puts then in black and white. There are sections where I believe the authors go a little too far and the aspect of humour is lost but it still didn't stop me reading it from cover to cover in a single sitting. And I've done that more than once. It's the kind of book I hope to have sitting on my bookshelf when I'm married and have kids that one of them will dig it out when they're age 16 or so and start laughing as hard as I did. What a great way to look at life.
Rating: 
Summary: "You are Worthless" is dishearteningly unfunny.
Review: As an avid fan of "The Onion," I was thrilled to find editor-in-chief Scott Dikkers had written a book parodying the feel-good self-help books that are so popular nowadays. However, once you get the gimmick of "You are Worthless" (it's a "self-help" book that makes you feel bad about yourself!), nothing new happens throughout the book's 230 pages. Dikkers merely writes page after page of destructive "advice" like "You are a loser," "God made a mistake when He made you," and "Think about the sweet release of death," and it ceases to be funny after about five such homilies. You get the point. Frankly, a parody of this sort of "Life's Little Instruction Book"-esque, bite-sized "wisdom" just seems entirely too easy for a mind as bitingly sharp and cleverly mean-spirited as Dikkers's. It's well within his abilities to do a brilliant parody of, say, the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, or the Ilyana Vanzant books rather than this sort of churned-out laziness.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: As an avid fan of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, I was thrilled to find Dikkers had written a book critiquing the feel-good self-help books that are so popular nowadays. However, once you get the "Paradigm" of "You are Worthless" (it's a "self-help" book that makes you "help-yourself!"), your spellboud throughout the book's 230 pages. Dikkers deftly writes page after page of constructive "advice" like "You are a toaster," "God made a great big world," and "Think about the sweet release of orgasm," and it never ceases to be illuminating. After about five such homilies you get exhausted. Frankly, a work of this sort of "Life's Little Instruction Book"-esque, bite-sized "wisdom" just seems entirely too perfect! Cleverly mean-spirited as Dikkers's mind is it's well within his abilities to do a brilliant anthology of, say, the "Jeffersons" series, or the "Gita" books in addition to this "One-To-Grow-On. Peace.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: As an avid fan of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, I was thrilled to find Dikkers had written a book critiquing the feel-good self-help books that are so popular nowadays. However, once you get the "Paradigm" of "You are Worthless" (it's a "self-help" book that makes you "help-yourself!"), your spellboud throughout the book's 230 pages. Dikkers deftly writes page after page of constructive "advice" like "You are a toaster," "God made a great big world," and "Think about the sweet release of orgasm," and it never ceases to be illuminating. After about five such homilies you get exhausted. Frankly, a work of this sort of "Life's Little Instruction Book"-esque, bite-sized "wisdom" just seems entirely too perfect! Cleverly mean-spirited as Dikkers's mind is it's well within his abilities to do a brilliant anthology of, say, the "Jeffersons" series, or the "Gita" books in addition to this "One-To-Grow-On. Peace.
Rating:
Summary: too dark for me
Review: As an avid Onion reader, I had high hopes for this book. I eagerly awaited its arrival and sat down to read the whole thing at once. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed.
The parody of numerous self help books is clear, which seemed like a pretty funny idea when I ordered the book. However, the novelty of this parody wore off quickly, and the humor was much darker than I had anticipated. I'm not sure that any book advising suicide (even in jest) would ever appeal to me. For me, this book was more unsettling than funny.
I would caution the buyer to think twice (I wish I would've). This book contains much darker humor than The Onion. Just because you like The Onion, doesn't mean that this book is a sure thing.
Rating:
Summary: Flucking Hilarious
Review: I and a group of friends sat in the bookstore laughing so histerically that the workers and patrons thought that we were on crack. We were all depressed when we walked into the store - and walked out happier than we had in months!
Rating:
Summary: Worthless is right...
Review: I don't believe I spent money on this badly written piece of junk..
Rating:
Summary: This book kept my family together....
Review: I happened upon this book on a day I was to see my mother who was very ill. I decided to buy it for her in hopes it might keep her mind occupied. Needless to say my mother was enlightened by the book and decided not to join the circus (since her life has nearly been spent and would probably not amount to anything).
Rating:
Summary: This book kept my family together....
Review: I happened upon this book on a day I was to see my mother who was very ill. I decided to buy it for her in hopes it might keep her mind occupied. Needless to say my mother was enlightened by the book and decided not to join the circus (since her life has nearly been spent and would probably not amount to anything).
Rating:
Summary: Ow. :)
Review: I think this book is hilarious and brilliant. A slightly scarier aspect of it for me is that I find myself agreeing with most of its depressing assertions about humanity and human nature, but (or should I say "and"?) I think it's terrific. If you prefer any of rose-colored glasses, self-delusion over uncomfortable truth, fake affection over real emptiness, and so on in that theme, you'll likely hate the book for most of the probably-valid reasons already stated by 1-star reviewers. Otherwise you'll probably love it. It's scathing and funny, and well worth the money and time.
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