The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (Smiths UK): A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

A self-help guide for millennials--superstar blogger Mark Manson shows us how to accept our faults, discover just how much pain we can tolerate, and stop deluding ourselves so that we can be better, happier people. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a self-help book aimed squarely at the millennial crowd, the ones who got gold medals for coming ninth in the running races. It posits that there are a limited number of fucks to give, so we better work out which ones we care about. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k--profane, direct, funny--is a response to the orgy of delusional positive thinking that goes on, both within the personal development industry and American culture at large. Manson's book makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that our ability to improve our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but rather on our ability to learn how to stomach lemons better. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and instead start confronting the painful truths, we begin to find in ourselves a spontaneous emergence of classic virtues such as courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness. The key demo for this book is the Millennials. They have different political beliefs, different life priorities, different buying habits, and different sexual/romantic behavior to all previous generations. They are known for being cynical, super ADHD, and entitled, but thanks to the Internet they also happen to be the most well-informed generation (they read more news than anybody else), so what would the generation-defining self-help book of today look like? The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k--alternative and anti-establishment--is that book. It says, "Fuck positivity, because let's be honest, shit is fucked and we have to live with it." It also says, "We actually are extremely limited, so we should get to know our limitations rather than ignore them." And it says, "No, not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Bottom line: the majority of what is shown through media and pop culture is manufactured and artificial. Money is nice, but giving a shit about what you do with your life is better. Wealth comes not from a big bank account but from a wealth of experience. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k delivers this message with bitchslap and gusto--along with a series of cool stories intermingled with the usual irreverent potty humor. This book is a much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk.