Book Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Author: Mark Manson
Genre: NonFiction, Self help
Rating: 1/5
Verdict: Don't give a f*ck about this book.

I have been quite wary of self help books and staying away from reading them mainly because most of these books are never one-size fits all. This book was another reaffirmation to that fact not because it was good and just doesn't fit everyone, but this was just a boatload of self-indulgent rubbish, extremely sexist and random pieces of content put together. The writing was abysmal as well. I cannot believe this topped the best seller's list at some point. After reading the first 25 pages, I was in complete rage. Getting life advice from a 30 something slacker of a dude who takes pride in being a complete "f*ckboy" during his youth rather than being remorseful and objectifies women as material possessions isn't exactly something I would call a deserving best seller. Casually saying he has a wife and there is nothing glamorous and exciting about it reeks of arrogance, misogyny and entitlement. It was quite an irony that there is a chapter about relationships and giving a f*ck about them in the book. That aside, the content in the book isn't remarkable, just felt like a bunch of blog posts thrown together without any research whatsoever. Most of it was just 'duh' and things you learn naturally in life as you grow older and wiser. I'm annoyed at myself for having fallen for picking up this one to read. The only reason I gave it a 1-star is for some chapters that there is actually value in reading it for. 

Book Review: THE GENE: An Intimate History

Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
Genre: Science, NonFiction
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: An incredibly well-written book with a comprehensive history on genetics.

This book was Genetics 101 for me. I knew very little about genes, heredity and genetic engineering before I picked up this book. The author takes us through the history of genes starting from Mendel and Darwin through Watson and finally right up to China announcing the first genetically modified human embryo. It was fascinating to read how much we have advanced in genetics in the last 40 years. It is a really well researched book and takes a good amount of refreshing of high school biology to absorb all the facts but it was a real page turner overall. Mukherjee also gets us thinking about the moral dilemmas we face today about genetic testing and gene therapy. I paused for a few minutes when I read about the perils that scientific advancements can and are causing today. It is quite a challenge writing about science for all kinds of audience but this was an amazingly clearly written book. It was a real slog to finish it due to the sheer volume of the book, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about life itself. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the diagrams and pictures are a treasure. I now look forward to reading his Pulitzer prize winning book on the biography of cancer.