The picture doesn't really convey how grim it was to be confronted by this irl
I hate how self-help books by charlatans have come to dominate bookstores. At least the YA novel craze that Harry Potter started were actual novels.
The problem is rich and famous assholes realized they could make easy money by paying some poor bastard on Diver to write a biography or self-help book, then pop it up on Audible and watch the profits roll in.
It's money for no effort, their favorite kind.
I hate how self-help books by charlatans have come to dominate bookstores. At least the YA novel craze that Harry Potter started were actual novels.
I would gladly take ten thousand fold YA novels that actually get people reading and talking about to each other (for better or worse) over self-help stuff.
I am in general pro-self-help (so long it's the desire is genuine not this weird modern self-optimization for capital shit), but self-help doesn't really get people talking or connecting. At least people (especially regular people) talked about Twilight, and Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, all them books. People were reading and talking to each other in-person and online about it. Self-help there is no discussion to be had. Sure there is the implementation of the practices and habits or whatever, but there is really no communication to be had, you just do the stuff. At least with YA you can ask someone "what did you think about XYZ", self-help is just do or do not.
It's as bad as "famous" rightwingers and sitting politicians. My only reprieve is hearing linkedin dudebros complain that those books are too long, repetitive, or say nothing useful. At least those YA novels are fun!
Waiting for the second edition (or 10 years still in print) weeds out 90%+ of the self-help chaff.
If Einstein and DaVincci were alive today, we wouldn't know it. All the books would be about Oppenheimer and Lorenzo de' Medici.
Owners and administrators are the ones that can afford to access the endless PR budgets necessary to inflate their profiles. You'll never actually hear about the Tesla/Apple lead engineers much less the grad student doing the advanced mathematics or material sciences that make these products possible.
You notice how Elon Musk's books are laid out in the shape of an X?
His natural hairline is probably closer to Homer Simpson.
I despise self help books, the money spent on a self help book could instead buy a copy of some classic literature, which will be infinitely more useful and meaningful than “Step 1. make a lotta money, step 2. Sleep 5 hours a day, step 3. Cold shower brrrrr”.
Even better, you can just read a classic book on gutenberg or an ereader for free, and donate the $15-$20 to a charity.
If I wrote a self help book, it would say, don’t pay for self help books when you can instead read famous amazing books for free instead.
Someone did sell one like that, a $15 self help book about how to become a millionaire. Then when you opened the book it just said "sell 60,000 books for $15/each"
Lich Einstein
Yeah but he's a beery swine who's just as sloshed as Schlegel.
That cover photo reminds me of Gendo Ikari. In any case, it’s (appropriately) unsettling.
This is like gazing upon some demonic shrine. Serious eldritch madness lies buried in those tomes. To gaze upon this abomination for too long risks an unstoppable descent Into delirium.
