Tag Archives: paul_pearsall

Tono-Bungay

No, this is not about H.G. Wells’ book, but about Paul Pearsall (who quotes Wells) and what he has to say about the ever increasing self-help-, Dr. Phil-, Dr. Laura- and Dr. Ruth- and whatsoever market The Last Self-Help Book You’ll Ever Need: Repress Your Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, and Throttle Your Inner Child.

Publisher Weekly says that he is

… arguing against the “platitudes of self-empowerment” that dominate the self-help bookshelves. Their relentlessly upbeat tone and unrealistic idea of happiness will only make you feel worse, he says. Using research studies to bolster his points … Dr. Phil. Pearsall, an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, wants readers to stop being so self-centered. It’s more important, he says, to love others before oneself, and appropriate guilt and anxiety are essential to learning to live a better life.

I enjoyed every sentence of this book, the inner pages fulfill what the title promises: A realistic approach that follows sound scientific principles.