Journalist Tom Tiede, a former syndicated columnist, skewers the authors of self-help books, whom he compares to modern-day snake-oil peddlers exploiting our weaknesses. As he slashes his way merrily through his least favorite books, Tiede posits a larger cultural argument about why we as a nation have fallen prey to the self-help juggernaut.
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Journalist Tom Tiede, a former syndicated columnist, skewers the authors of self-help books, whom he compares to modern-day snake-oil peddlers exploiting our weaknesses. As he slashes his way merrily through his least favorite books, Tiede posits a larger cultural argument about why we as a nation have fallen prey to the self-help juggernaut.
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Add this copy of Self-Help Nation: the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $11.48, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Add this copy of Self-Help Nation: the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $11.48, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Add this copy of Self-Help Nation: the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $27.00, like new condition, Sold by Robinson Street Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Binghamton, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Pr.
Add this copy of Self-Help Nation: the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $40.58, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Pr.
Add this copy of Self-Help Nation: the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $124.69, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Pr.
Add this copy of Self-Help Nation; the Long Overdue, Entirely Justified, to cart. $250.00, very good condition, Sold by Ground Zero Books, Ltd. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Silver Spring, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Edition:
First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]
Publisher:
Atlantic Monthly Press
Published:
2001
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
17805078358
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Seller's Description:
Very good in Very good jacket. Ciii, [2], 224, [2] pages. The format is approximately 5.75 inches by 8.5 inches. Inscribed by the author on the fep. Inscription reads Robert--This is a tough book, partly because there is some mislaid truth in it Tom 09-22-01. An entertaining, acerbic look at the self-help industry in America and the culture that supports it describes Americans' fascination with and addiction to self-help books; examines the self-absorption, media irresponsibility, celebrity fascination, and other cultural afflictions that cause it; and calls for a return to the American value of self-reliance. In his book Self-Help Nation, Tom Tiede takes a revealing look at the many self-help and New Age experts active in America. Among those attacked are figures like Richard Simmons, Norman Vincent Peale, Leo Buscaglia, Deepak Chopra, Laura Schlessinger, and Dr. Wayne Dyer, and the books All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and the various "Chicken Soup" titles. Tiede argues that the self-help industry is harmful, making money by telling perfectly normal people that they need assistance in living their lives. He wonders sarcastically how humanity got along before the self-help boom of the twentieth century. Gilbert Taylor in Booklist called Tiede's book "a devilishly delicious diatribe." Jeanne M. Leiboff in Library Journal found Self-Help Nation to be "sardonic and bitterly derisive, " while a critic for Publishers Weekly described Tiede's book as a "mordantly funny attack on sanctimonious advice givers." Derived from a Publishers Weekly article: "She's a moralist, a stiff spine, a hanging judge, a smell fungus, a censor, a hall monitor and naturally...[s]he is also largely popular and wealthy. I'll get to hypocritical in a moment, " writes Tiede of Dr. Laura Schlessinger. But the good doctor should not feel slighted in this mordantly funny attack on sanctimonious advice givers. Taking the view that most people are better off thinking honestly and logically about their own desires, Tiede--a nationally syndicated columnist and recipient of the Ernie Pyle award--massacres self-help books for their quick fixes and, he says, dumbed-down psychology. In his view, they're unnecessary, untrustworthy and even harmful. Along with Dr. Laura, Tiede goes after Norman Vincent Peale, M. Scott Peck, Barbara Kessling, Elaine Emeth & Dr. Janet Greenhut and Paul Harris. Tiede has a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to life and does not suffer fools gladly. He can be deeply moving, as when he talks about his experiences with disabled servicemen in Vietnam, or starkly terrifying, as when discussing torture in Uganda. His views are not going to be accepted by everyone and his rhetoric, while often hilarious, is so strong that it's sure to be ignored by those who might need it most: addicts of self-help.
