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tracyk22's review against another edition
4.0
This is an essay that reads like a high school or college graduation speech. Actually, at first, that's what I thought it was. It would make a great graduation gift... or a gift for a new mom, for the following section is what struck a chord with me as a mom:
"Sometime in the future, if you are young, you may want to be a parent. You will convince yourself that you will be a better parent than your parents and their parents have been. But being a good parent is not generational, it is deeply personal, and it all comes down to this: If you can bring to your children the self that you truly are, as opposed to some as amalgam of manners and mannerisms, expectations and fears that you have acquired as a carapace along the way, you will be able to teach them by example not to be terrorized by the narrow and parsimonious expectations of the world, a world that often likes to color within the lines when a spray of paint, a scribble of crayon, would be much more satisfying."
This one got me too:
"Someday, sometime, you will be sitting somewhere.... And something bad will have happened: You will have lost someone you loved, or failed at something at which you badly wanted to succeed. And sitting there, you will fall into the center of yourself. You will look for some core to sustain you. And if you have been perfect all your life and have managed to meet all the expectations of your family, your friends, your community, your society, chances are excellent that there will be a black hole where that core ought to be."
In a nutshell: Let go of the expectations you've allowed yourself and others and society to place on you, and embrace the wonder that is you, faults and all.
"Sometime in the future, if you are young, you may want to be a parent. You will convince yourself that you will be a better parent than your parents and their parents have been. But being a good parent is not generational, it is deeply personal, and it all comes down to this: If you can bring to your children the self that you truly are, as opposed to some as amalgam of manners and mannerisms, expectations and fears that you have acquired as a carapace along the way, you will be able to teach them by example not to be terrorized by the narrow and parsimonious expectations of the world, a world that often likes to color within the lines when a spray of paint, a scribble of crayon, would be much more satisfying."
This one got me too:
"Someday, sometime, you will be sitting somewhere.... And something bad will have happened: You will have lost someone you loved, or failed at something at which you badly wanted to succeed. And sitting there, you will fall into the center of yourself. You will look for some core to sustain you. And if you have been perfect all your life and have managed to meet all the expectations of your family, your friends, your community, your society, chances are excellent that there will be a black hole where that core ought to be."
In a nutshell: Let go of the expectations you've allowed yourself and others and society to place on you, and embrace the wonder that is you, faults and all.
lauradutrisac's review against another edition
5.0
sheryl gave me this one and it kinda felt like a cop out to finish my reading challenge bc it was like 65 pages and half of them were pictures but i’m so glad i read it! beautifully written and full of good nuggets of wisdom! being perfect is boring!!!! be yourself baby!!!
dana_reads_books's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.5
mrsfligs's review against another edition
2.0
My Rating: 2 stars
Brief Summary: This 48-page book (half of which are photos!) is an essay on why we should all give up the burden of perfectionism.
Brief Thoughts (But Really A Rant): I can't even begin to tell you how annoyed I am that this "book" is being sold for $12.95 ($17.95 in Canada). And this isn't even Quindlen's first offense of this nature!!! She did the same thing with A Short Guide to A Happy Life (with the emphasis being on "short"). There is nothing in here you can't find somewhere else for considerably less money or for free. I literally read the entire book while eating lunch! I used to like Quindlen, but think her writing has gone steadily downhill. (I thought her novel Rise and Shine was horrible. But at least you got over 200 pages!) This feels like a popular author doing a money grab, and I, for one, am annoyed by it.
Brief Summary: This 48-page book (half of which are photos!) is an essay on why we should all give up the burden of perfectionism.
Brief Thoughts (But Really A Rant): I can't even begin to tell you how annoyed I am that this "book" is being sold for $12.95 ($17.95 in Canada). And this isn't even Quindlen's first offense of this nature!!! She did the same thing with A Short Guide to A Happy Life (with the emphasis being on "short"). There is nothing in here you can't find somewhere else for considerably less money or for free. I literally read the entire book while eating lunch! I used to like Quindlen, but think her writing has gone steadily downhill. (I thought her novel Rise and Shine was horrible. But at least you got over 200 pages!) This feels like a popular author doing a money grab, and I, for one, am annoyed by it.
kricketa's review against another edition
5.0
reread 2012: this is a great book to read when you feel like a fuckup.
2006: self-help book ala quindlen. it's just nice to be reminded.
2006: self-help book ala quindlen. it's just nice to be reminded.
musingsfromamandalyn's review against another edition
1.0
I am rather confused on how this is a book. I also don't know how 48 pages can actually say nothing. It was like a very badly written blog post with a lot of random photos thrown in to give it length. Only good thing is that it only took like 15 minutes to read...
hlparis's review against another edition
4.0
Another antidote to being perfect. "Pursuing perfection makes you unforgiving to others." I really like Anna Quindlen's writing style and don't always agree with everything that she says, but it makes me think. This short little tome is no different. A small volume of photos and creative non-fiction, focused on what many people seem to spend their life pursuing. After all, we grow up learning to do things the "right" way, getting as close to perfect on tests as we possibly can, etc. Who can blame us for trying to keep doing what we are taught and have drilled into us for years? The thing is, there are more stimuli in our culture than ever and it effects us on every level. And achieving perfection while trying to master dozens of things all at once is just not reasonable...or healthy.
It comes down to doing your best. Whatever that looks like in any given moment, in any situation. And if you make a mistake, trying to learn from it. Because mistakes are human.
It comes down to doing your best. Whatever that looks like in any given moment, in any situation. And if you make a mistake, trying to learn from it. Because mistakes are human.