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markproxy's review against another edition
3.0
I like the personifying metaphor of Resistance as all the self-defeating roadblocks one throws up in the way of one's own creative pursuits. I expect the term Resistance will remain with me forever. It gives my willpower a named enemy, making it easier for me to fight my own anxiety, trust my artistic vision, and get to work on writing. If a book of this genre can convey one useful idea that will really stick with me -- and it doesn't take too long to read -- then I deem it a success.
However, if it weren't for this one long-lasting take-away, I'd give this book one or two stars. What a minefield of misconceptions. This review lists out the most egregious of them. Among the worst: if you can set aside all the bullshit in your life, focus on your destiny, and achieve a big win... you can cure your own cancer. The author is so wrapped up in the mystical virtue of artistic creativity that he actually believes this.
Thinking about reading this book? Plan to skip the second half. This is where the mysticism and assertions of the divine nature of art really head for the stratosphere. The one bit of wisdom that you'll miss is that you shouldn't compare yourselves to others or pander to your audience; you should resolve to believe in your own voice and vision. Anything else is either selling out or getting caught in the trap of viewing the world as a hierarchy in which your goal is to achieve a higher rank. Now that I've shared this with you, save yourself a few hours, and spend them on a more worthy book.
If you're looking for a good book on how to improve your own willpower, I recommend The Willpower Instinct.
However, if it weren't for this one long-lasting take-away, I'd give this book one or two stars. What a minefield of misconceptions. This review lists out the most egregious of them. Among the worst: if you can set aside all the bullshit in your life, focus on your destiny, and achieve a big win... you can cure your own cancer. The author is so wrapped up in the mystical virtue of artistic creativity that he actually believes this.
Thinking about reading this book? Plan to skip the second half. This is where the mysticism and assertions of the divine nature of art really head for the stratosphere. The one bit of wisdom that you'll miss is that you shouldn't compare yourselves to others or pander to your audience; you should resolve to believe in your own voice and vision. Anything else is either selling out or getting caught in the trap of viewing the world as a hierarchy in which your goal is to achieve a higher rank. Now that I've shared this with you, save yourself a few hours, and spend them on a more worthy book.
If you're looking for a good book on how to improve your own willpower, I recommend The Willpower Instinct.
bubski_mcboo's review against another edition
4.0
TL;DR: Get out of your own way.
That said, unlike many other people who say the above phrase until they're blue in the face while the rest of us throw up our own hands or smack them in their smug faces with a heavy frying pan, Pressfield does a good job of pointing out ways you might succeed in actually following through on this age-old annoying piece of crinkly advice.
That said, unlike many other people who say the above phrase until they're blue in the face while the rest of us throw up our own hands or smack them in their smug faces with a heavy frying pan, Pressfield does a good job of pointing out ways you might succeed in actually following through on this age-old annoying piece of crinkly advice.
callienicole's review against another edition
2.0
I've decided to start a "did not finish" shelf - I didn't finish this one because it was due at the library. I stopped on page 55, and I may pick it up again sometime because the concept was interesting - he writes about "resistance", that thing that causes you to procrastinate and keeps you from doing creative work that you are meant to do. From the parts I read I thought he had good things to say, but some of it was just ridiculous. In one chapter he rants against organized religion and claims that "fundamentalism", I guess in the form of religion, cannot co-exist with real meaningful art or accomplishments. Which is absurd - he clearly does not know his history or art if he thinks that devout, orthodox religious people cannot create art. This chapter seemed to have no other purpose than to insult the majority of the world that does adhere to the three major religions, and he specifically lists Islam, Judaism, and Christianity as forms of destructive "fundamentalism". So yeah, I had to knock off a few stars for that. The chapter was neither accurate or helpful, just a poorly veiled anti-religious rant. Like I said, maybe I'll pick this up again at some point because the other chapters were interesting and I could see how this book had the potential to be motivating. We'll see.
lifewellspent227's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
calbowen's review against another edition
1.0
I get what this book is supposed to be. Inspiration. This is pages upon pages of ramblings from someone that I cannot identify with. I do not agree with his philosophies and I cannot get on board with his ideal system.
He talks a ton about resistance, and while what he speaks of is real, his methods are - vapid.
There is no advice here either. Pray to the muse? The world is full of angels?
This book has been helpful to many, and will likely continue to do so.
For me, this is quickly in my recycle bin to try to get a couple of bucks and get something I will actually enjoy reading.
He talks a ton about resistance, and while what he speaks of is real, his methods are - vapid.
There is no advice here either. Pray to the muse? The world is full of angels?
This book has been helpful to many, and will likely continue to do so.
For me, this is quickly in my recycle bin to try to get a couple of bucks and get something I will actually enjoy reading.
jess_tries2read's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
2.0
I read the intro to this book at the gym and I probably looked like I was a trout for how much my mouth kept falling open. Not an unusual look for me at the gym, but the abject terror in my eyes is usually from my shotty endurance, not the horrific ideas on the page. I've looked through recent reviews on goodreads for this book and they pretty much have all the hits covered: (paraphrased but not embellished)
- Hitler almost became an artist but didn't, and see how he turned out! Think what you'll become if you don't live up to your potential!
- The reason you're not productive is because of fatty food and gorgeous women
- Sickness isn't real, it's just an excuse not to work
- Taking care of your family instead of writing a novel is cowardice
- Not being creative causes more unhappiness than poverty (and erectile dysfunction (??))
- ADHD isn't real, just doctors pushing pills
... it's a lot. These ideas in combination with his insistence that creativty is divine and that he was destined by God to channel his will (not just one God, also the Greek Muses) and that if you don't heed the divine message you'll be miserable... it's a lot to take in. I wasn't sure if he believes he is helping people, thinks he is Alexander the Great incarnated or both. But I was more shocked by the structure of the book, i.e. there wasn't any. Most of the sections are 1 or 2 pages that are loosely connected to the previous, and sometimes only a sentence or two. The rest of the page is empty. It was more like reading a poetry book, or someone's private diary. Or, maybe these days it was like sitting through a commencement speech.
There are good things about this book--mostly the second half. The writing style is great. The stories about his past experiences were wonderful. The author insists creating is something you should only do for you, and that is a helpful message. There was a great section about the importance of not comparing yourself to others. That definitely gets a star from me. Plus, I was talking sh*t about this book on Snapchat and filmed myself falling on the pavement after calling this guy crazy, so, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge lest I be struck down by a higher power. 😬
- Hitler almost became an artist but didn't, and see how he turned out! Think what you'll become if you don't live up to your potential!
- The reason you're not productive is because of fatty food and gorgeous women
- Sickness isn't real, it's just an excuse not to work
- Taking care of your family instead of writing a novel is cowardice
- Not being creative causes more unhappiness than poverty (and erectile dysfunction (??))
- ADHD isn't real, just doctors pushing pills
... it's a lot. These ideas in combination with his insistence that creativty is divine and that he was destined by God to channel his will (not just one God, also the Greek Muses) and that if you don't heed the divine message you'll be miserable... it's a lot to take in. I wasn't sure if he believes he is helping people, thinks he is Alexander the Great incarnated or both. But I was more shocked by the structure of the book, i.e. there wasn't any. Most of the sections are 1 or 2 pages that are loosely connected to the previous, and sometimes only a sentence or two. The rest of the page is empty. It was more like reading a poetry book, or someone's private diary. Or, maybe these days it was like sitting through a commencement speech.
There are good things about this book--mostly the second half. The writing style is great. The stories about his past experiences were wonderful. The author insists creating is something you should only do for you, and that is a helpful message. There was a great section about the importance of not comparing yourself to others. That definitely gets a star from me. Plus, I was talking sh*t about this book on Snapchat and filmed myself falling on the pavement after calling this guy crazy, so, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge lest I be struck down by a higher power. 😬
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting book and while it was focused on the creative arts, I hope to use what I learned in other areas of my life too.
_rg's review against another edition
4.0
If you ignore the stuff sbout god, and divinity and so on, you can learn a quite a few useful things from this book. I would recommend it, if you can overlook the references to god and divinity.