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selsha's review
4.0
Although I'm not a yogi myself, I've always been intrigued by the practice.
While Dan may come across as a super-privileged white man, he grapples with his own demons in a way that's relatable. It's refreshing to witness his struggles, skepticism, and eventual fulfillment.
Admittedly, I never felt like picking up the book at my usual reading times, it never truly left me ‘wanting more’. But once I started reading again, I found it to be quite engaging. I truly enjoyed it, and there were moments that had me laughing out loud, especially during the retreat chapter.
Overall a solid 4 for the fun! And who knows maybe I too can be 10% happier!
While Dan may come across as a super-privileged white man, he grapples with his own demons in a way that's relatable. It's refreshing to witness his struggles, skepticism, and eventual fulfillment.
Admittedly, I never felt like picking up the book at my usual reading times, it never truly left me ‘wanting more’. But once I started reading again, I found it to be quite engaging. I truly enjoyed it, and there were moments that had me laughing out loud, especially during the retreat chapter.
Overall a solid 4 for the fun! And who knows maybe I too can be 10% happier!
indigoanne's review
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
I appreciate the skeptical approach.
alexanderdunn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
stephen11's review
3.0
I’ve been enjoying using the 10% Happier App, so I decided to read the book. The book is primarily about his history and development of his meditation practice. I saw a lot of myself in many parts, so I found the author very relatable. I like his no bs approach too.
circularcubes's review
4.0
Why, yes, I chose to read a self-help book on the plane during my cross-country move. It seemed appropriate.
This was more well-written than I was expecting, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Harris' thoughts. The ending notes on meditation were great, and I'm honestly inspired to maybe give meditation another try (even though it might take a few tries to actually get it to stick... developing good habits can be hard
This was more well-written than I was expecting, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Harris' thoughts. The ending notes on meditation were great, and I'm honestly inspired to maybe give meditation another try (even though it might take a few tries to actually get it to stick... developing good habits can be hard
drew1013's review
4.0
Straight-forward style and helpful. I’d done some meditation in the past, but I was missing an important detail about why it’s useful: the all-day benefits of practiced mindfulness.
This book has brought me back to meditation with a new goal in mind. Not just to do it for relaxation or for its own sake (though those are still valid reasons), but to train the mind to handle day-to-day challenges, to be more resilient to stress, and to make your own happiness.
Ok, so it’s not a wonder drug. It’s a practice. It can be difficult. But so is exercise, and this is brain exercise. This book offered great perspective on the usefulness of meditation via an honest and sardonic personal story. It scraped the crunchy granola crust off the practice of meditation and recontextualized it as a means to achieving self-control and 10% more happiness.
This book has brought me back to meditation with a new goal in mind. Not just to do it for relaxation or for its own sake (though those are still valid reasons), but to train the mind to handle day-to-day challenges, to be more resilient to stress, and to make your own happiness.
Ok, so it’s not a wonder drug. It’s a practice. It can be difficult. But so is exercise, and this is brain exercise. This book offered great perspective on the usefulness of meditation via an honest and sardonic personal story. It scraped the crunchy granola crust off the practice of meditation and recontextualized it as a means to achieving self-control and 10% more happiness.
thesdbooktrovert's review
3.0
I think the title can be a bit misleading. I purchased the book mistakenly thinking I would learn more about meditation and ways to calm the critical self talk.
However, that is not the main purpose of this book so if you are looking at it for that, I suggest moving on. It does have a few pages of meditation info in the back about how to start a practice for yourself so, I wasn’t totally wrong. It’s just not a book all about meditation as I had thought it was for some reason. Overall it was a good read though.
However, that is not the main purpose of this book so if you are looking at it for that, I suggest moving on. It does have a few pages of meditation info in the back about how to start a practice for yourself so, I wasn’t totally wrong. It’s just not a book all about meditation as I had thought it was for some reason. Overall it was a good read though.
savage_pancakes's review
3.0
Enjoyable and useful book. I expected quite a bit more info on meditation, but it was mainly a book detailing the author's journey to finding meditation useful. I liked it because I agreed with many of the issues he had about Buddhism, which he later explained. It did have plenty of practical information, but there was not a ton of information that I saved or highlighted. Part of that may just be that meditation is not overly complicated. The book does have a great appendix with meditation exercises in it.
bookedrightmeow's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
• An elusive re-read! I read the original version the first time; this time it's the revised edition
• I'm working on getting back into a regular meditation habit. This is a great refresher/intro to how mindfulness can help calm anxiety and panic attacks
• Do read the book; do give Harris' meditation app a free trial. I hesitate to recommend the subscription because it's rather pricey and there are other great meditation apps that are free. Highly recommend this book, though!
• Harris isn't into woo, which I appreciate since folks in the meditation field can be all over the place and I always question their credibility