Top reviews from Australia
Tamara
5.0 out of 5 stars Unhappy with your life direction read this book
Reviewed in Australia on 27 June 2018
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Great book which is written in dialogue form or a philosopher and young man. Excellent as the questions that one would have about concepts are answered succinctly. The concepts are deep but it is clear how this can bring about a change of the world from ones eyes. Dancing with moments ❤️
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Manan.cm.au
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5.0 out of 5 stars Simple - Surprising & effective
Reviewed in Australia on 29 May 2019
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This book is a dialogue between a philosopher and youth in which youth is facing a "crisis of meaning" . Kishmi illustrates a firm standpoint and simple answers for complex questions relating to meaning of life.
I have never been a fan of Freudian psychology and it was good to hear a good refutation by Adler.
Whats surprising is that why such a Gem like Adler never made it to the mainstream.
This book is great read. I would definitely recommend ...
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AdamMetcalfe
5.0 out of 5 stars Careful! This book may change your beliefs!!
Reviewed in Australia on 21 September 2018
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I enjoyed the narrative between the philosopher and student in this book. It definitely challenged my views of teh world, and while you wont get a "quick fix" solution (but is there ever such a thing!). I have started to change my mindset based on the individualism concepts presented and it fits better with me.
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frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Australia on 2 February 2019
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What a fantastically told story between teacher and student, combining philosophical and psychological theory with real world practice and demonstration of how the the two can merge in the face of hurdles and adversity to an effective outcome. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their lives.
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Alex N
4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, might just change how I see things!
Reviewed in Australia on 31 May 2020
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Okay, so I actually didn't read through the whole book the first time, possibly as the earlier ideas in the book are ideas that I had already understood as there are similar ideas in Stoicism.
This time I persisted all the way to the ahead, only taking 1 day to read, and I've highlighted so many parts too! Learning about the difference between vertical and horizontal relationships and the separation of tasks will be useful in the years to come.
The book is a little frustrating at first, but then it is written as a continual discussion/argument so naturally there are points of frustration, like you would have observing one in real life. But you end up with a satisfying conclusion.
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Kristie Morrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in Australia on 5 September 2018
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Whether you are interested in philosophy or psychology this book is a fascinating read. I thoroughly recommend it as an invaluable insight into what it takes to live a happy life.
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Niall O'Brien
1.0 out of 5 stars I gave up
Reviewed in Australia on 23 September 2020
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I got through to approximately 30% of the book & became bored so I stopped reading.its designed to challenge your thinking. I found it a challenge to keep reading. Hope you faired better than me.
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Peter Brimelow
5.0 out of 5 stars Challenge yourself
Reviewed in Australia on 10 May 2018
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Thought provoking. The disciplines required to be happy, easily understood, you only need the courage.
A book to be read over and over again.
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Top reviews from other countries
maik-arnold
4.0 out of 5 stars A treasury box which shall be consulted in times of trouble or joy
Reviewed in Germany on 25 January 2021
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This is book is definitely worth reading twice as it contains a condensed overview on Adlerian Psychology in form of a Socratic dialogue. Despite the more relaxed dialogical approach between the youth and the philosopher throughout the whole book, it is still hard to digest. From chapter to chapter the reader gets the feeling of digging deeper into this humanistic psychological approach which is actually for some the greatest life-lie and for others a fresh start to prosper in self-acceptance, confidence to others and longing for happiness. The book could be understood as a treasury box which shall be consulted in times of trouble or joy. These are my Top 10 key lessons learned: (1) All problems are interpersonal relationship problems, (2) if we want to change our life, we need to be courageous, (3) the courage to be happy also includes the courage to be disliked, (4) to get rid of interpersonal relationships to gain freedom is to be disliked by other people, (5) all human beings are equal, but not the same, (6) the concept of the division of task: separate one’s own tasks from other people’s tasks, (7) interpersonal relationships and whole communities should be built on horizontal relationships, (8) to work means to contribute to the community, (9) it's we who assign meaning to our life, (10) life is like a dance; we should live more earnestly only here and now. I very much recommend reading this book as it is not another messianic mission to convert people to live a happier life but to gain a better understanding of the Adlerian Psychology as an alternative to other psychodynamic, systemic and behaviouristic schools of thought.
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Lorenzo Galanti
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring. Totally worth reading and re-reading
Reviewed in Italy on 22 April 2019
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I was not aware of Adlerian doctrines before reading this book. Therefore, its apparently counterintuitive notions came largely as a positive surprise. The idea, for instance, that trauma does not exist per se but as a narrative that was created by ourselves to fit an interpersonal relations problem is eye-opening and refreshing, and full of consequences. So is the fundamental principle of task separation.
I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone looking to critically improve their own lives in concrete way.
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Bill Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent approach to making Adler accessible to general readership
Reviewed in Canada on 20 January 2020
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The format was entertaining yet serious enough for anyone with a background in Psychology and it has lead to the purchase of several books by Adler, particularly the book What Life Could Mean to You which also gets an excellent rating.
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Gigi Nasr
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing BOOOk’!
Reviewed in Mexico on 8 September 2018
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Amazing BOOk, I fell in love with the Adlerian psychology. Dancing in the here and now, enjoying the moments of life are just our way to empowering ourselves contributing to others. <3
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Kindle Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Wish I would have just picked up a book on Adlerian Psychology
Reviewed in the United States on 13 September 2018
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I understand why the authors chose a dialogue format, but it didn't work very well. Half of the youth's responses consisted of the last line or phrase the philosopher used with a question mark slapped on the end, which was infuriating. That's not realistic dialogue. I would have preferred the philosopher going on an endless rant. The youth also gave in too easily to the philosopher's points for them to be convincing. The examples used either by the philosopher to illustrate his points or the youth to refute them were either too specific(leading to many "Well, what if"s in my mind) or too vague to really drive the point home
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Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
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Vivien
01-03-2018
Shining a light on the here and now
I found this book fascinating in that it made clear many vague ideas I already have and perhaps at times inadvertently live by. Nevertheless Many points - in particular about anger were quite new to me. Then concept that CONTRIBUTION is the guiding star to happiness is quite profound. Also that one can only be an individual in relationship to society points out that our connections are what define us. The point is made that it is up to each individual to discover the meaning for their own lives- that life does not in itself provide an intrinsic meaning. I was intrigued that Adler points out that all problems are about personal relationships and that our relationships are best when horizontal- meaning that they are best kept on an equal basis rather than vertical whereby there is a power relationship. Towards the end of the book it is pointed out that if you only shine a dim light on the here and now (so that you can look back into the past and look into the future) then the light on the present moment will be dim. However - Adler says- the past and the future do not exist so shining the light on the present enriches every moment. There is no sense that one should not have goals. In fact having goals is crucial. However it is the journey to get there that is the life and that moment to moment should be viewed as a dance. If the goal that was originally set is never reached in the form anticipated then nothing has been lost- the journey had been a valuable and enriching experience. One needs only courage to take the next step and to live with the intensity that is potential in every moment of life. Then even if life is short - it becomes a life well lived. One should not live to impress others- that means one is not free. Freedom is achieved only by being true to ones own path. As soon as one tries to live by somebody else’s yard stick then one loses one’s direction. One needs the courage to make a personal contribution without looking for external praise. It is a series of philosophies that perhaps need listening to twice! I may have distorted some points in the retelling - I would strongly recommend this book!
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53 people found this helpful
Overall 2 out of 5 stars
Performance 1 out of 5 stars
Story 1 out of 5 stars
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teresa
15-07-2018
Dumbed down too much
The idea of presenting the content as a dialogue is great to help simplify the concepts. However I found that it did not work in practice. The ‘youth’ character was presented as petulant and the ‘philosopher’ character as condescending. The idea did not pay off and the concepts were over-simplified. I persevered - confident that it would improve as we progressed through the book. It didn’t and I regret not turning it off early.
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15 people found this helpful
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 3 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars
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Kathryn De Jesus
15-03-2018
Great Philosophy! Listen don’t Read!!
Love & recommend the content & main messages of this book. As long as you love philosophy & can follow the sometimes long winded conversations, you will appreciate it. The content is presented as an ongoing dialogue between a philosopher & a young man. I would hate to read the actual book, as I think I would loose interest due to this type of presentation, but listening on audible was quick & worthwhile.
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21 people found this helpful
Overall 1 out of 5 stars
Performance 1 out of 5 stars
Story 1 out of 5 stars
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Anabel Pandiella
04-09-2018
Not what I expected.
Maybe I wasn’t in the right mind frame for this but I just could get into into. The voice annoyed me, the way it was structured into dialogue made it hard to engage with and I found the actual content no at all what I expected. Unfortunately not for me.
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6 people found this helpful
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
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Anonymous User
13-04-2018
Controversial, Fascinating
Loved it, listened twice. I have no regrets about this book, I just wish it had an e-book accompaniment.
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5 people found this helpful
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars
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Michael Vagg
31-03-2019
Really comes together in the end...
I struggled to get through this, but I stuck with it. And yes, I wish I knew about Adler 20 years ago but... the format of this book is written as dialogue. Almost like a play. Philosopher: "speaks" Youth: "replies" And the narrator READS "Philosopher" and "Youth." At first hearing that, I was dismayed. I found it jarring and difficult to listen and think. But, it is dropped yet reintroduced periodically. I also found the voices of each protagonist, as voiced by Mulraney, difficult. He is a great narrator and has a wonderful voice, but the format requires two distinct voices in conversation and I struggled listening to one person voice them interchangeably in such quick succession. Ultimately, it was worth it. These initial annoyances faded and I found myself listening intently and was fascinated and inspired by Adlerian psychology as richly illustrated here. The afterward, where seperately, Koga and Kishimi talk about how this book came about and how they worked together is a very important part of this book and left me feeling a lot better about having stuck with it to the end.
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3 people found this helpful
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
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roger lewis
08-05-2018
great book in my top 5 of books i have ever listen
it gives you a whole new way of looking at your way of looking at life
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3 people found this helpful
Overall 2 out of 5 stars
Performance 3 out of 5 stars
Story 2 out of 5 stars
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Qi
14-07-2018
I don't understand all the good reviews
Some points in this book are alright and can be helpful I guess. But can't say I agree with some arguments in this book. For example: "Trauma doesn't exist"; the author basically said if you have any anxiety or depression disorders, then that's because you wanted it. You are using your "anxiety" or "depression" to achieve some of your personal goals. One last point, the term "Adlerian psychology" appears way too much. I know this is a book about Adlerian psychology, but when it appears like twelve times in ten minutes, that's just way too much.
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10 people found this helpful
Overall 2 out of 5 stars
Performance 1 out of 5 stars
Story 1 out of 5 stars
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Dwayne
08-03-2018
Numbingly boring & condescending.
I find my mind wanders after a minute of listening. I can't tell the two voices apart and feel lost constantly. Perhaps reading it makes sense but if you are having trouble sleeping this will get you off in no time.
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17 people found this helpful
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
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Anonymous User
15-03-2018
ACTUALLY A LIFE CHANGING BOOK. I WANTED MORE.
I had the hard copy and the audio simply because I couldn't put it down. When I couldn't read the hard copy I had Adrian's voice in my head. One of the best readings I've heard. Also, I sometimes struggle with the voices of audiobooks, but Adrian's was perfect. The book is incredible and I'll be reading it again within the month to commit to memories. The more I read it the more I'll absorb it and the easier it will become to put it into practice. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. EVERYONE
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