Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone
by
Beth Lisick
Grappling with her lifelong phobia of anything slick, cheesy, or remotely claiming to provide self-empowerment, Beth Lisick wakes up on New Year's Day 2006 with an unprecedented feeling. She is finally able to admit to herself that she's grown tired of embracing the same old set of nagging problems year after year. She has no savings account. Her house feels unorganized a
...moreHardcover, 264 pages
Published
January 1st 2008
by William Morrow & Company
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I was a big fan of Beth Lisick’s first memoir, Everybody Into the Pool. She’s smart and funny, so I figured her new book about a year she spent trying to improve her life through doing various self-help programs would be pretty entertaining. And it is entertaining, in parts. It was also kind of painful for me to read.
Lisick describes herself as someone who would sooner be found making fun of self-help than plunking down hard-earned cash for a self-help book or workshop, so her fir...more
Lisick describes herself as someone who would sooner be found making fun of self-help than plunking down hard-earned cash for a self-help book or workshop, so her fir...more
Okay. So. Firstly, if you read these book reviews I write, you know that Ithink I'm hilarious and interesting and want to talk about it all the time, right? And just have a theoretical reason ("my review") to do it? Well, Beth Lisick does that too! This book is ostensibly about her attempts to fix her life with self-help gurus, but really it's about how much of a mess she is and how funny she thinks that is. Which rules.
Full disclosure: I have a crush on her. She came in wi...more
Full disclosure: I have a crush on her. She came in wi...more
Morgan
rated it
Recommends it for:
people who like self help, Richard Simmons fans
Recommended to Morgan by:
Bust Magazine
I really liked Beth's voice in this book--sounds like someone who I would love to be friends with. She's funny, self-deprecating, and has all manner of interesting insights. After reading the book, I wanted to look her up and invite her to have coffee so that the two of us could talk about parenting, lack of finances, and the problems of cleaning out our exploding closets.
The book, though, is not that great. In fact, I'm just giving it a three because I like Beth the person so muc...more
The book, though, is not that great. In fact, I'm just giving it a three because I like Beth the person so muc...more
here are some of the reasons why i liked this book, presented to you as a numbered list:
1. i like series. i appreciate the gesture towards applying the same technique or material in a multiplicity of ways. beth lisick tries on various self-help programs, each for one month, for the duration of one year.
2. this book is about setting aside irony & apathy. this is a matter of great interest to me.
3. beth lisick is actually an entertaining writer.
4. there is a real effort t...more
1. i like series. i appreciate the gesture towards applying the same technique or material in a multiplicity of ways. beth lisick tries on various self-help programs, each for one month, for the duration of one year.
2. this book is about setting aside irony & apathy. this is a matter of great interest to me.
3. beth lisick is actually an entertaining writer.
4. there is a real effort t...more
This is one woman's quest to become a better person through self-help guides and personal coaching gurus. Married in Berkeley with a 4-year old son, Lisick is a writer who moonlights as a banana and does various other odd jobs to barely pay the minimum on her bills every month. So, for one year she decides that each month she is going to pick one area of her life to focus on imporving - she will read the self-help books, but she will also, when possible, seek out the masters themselves by attend...more
Have you ever walked by the self help section of the bookstore and wondered, "would my life be better if I read some of this stuff instead of just scoffing at it? Are all those people really being helped by the secret?" The author of this book did with varying degrees of success. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about cruising the high seas with Richard Simmons. (I had just seen him on the Today show and I think that he sprayed his head with black stuff to make his hair seem fuller. ...more
Written by cynic who had no intention of really implementing and taking to heart any of the programs she "tried". I truly felt like I took very little from the experience of reading this book. And its too bad, because the concept seemed like a great one!
Beth Lisick spends a year trying to improve herself. She reads one self-help book a month for a year inclusing Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, The Artist's Way, and Other well known self-help guides. It is so so funny. She legitimately tries to follow the advice these books give, and while she does discover a lot of things that DO help, she also discovers a lot of things that are ridiculous. Lisick is extremely talented at describing the ridiculous and making even the most mundane i...more
Beth Lisick’s book, while an enjoyable read, sort of drove me mad. I worked for the same employer as Beth when I lived in San Francisco in the mid-90’s. I’ve seen her perform and knew her casually; she’s a nice person. So while reading this book, I had a fairly clear picture in my mind of the author and her voice. I don’t know if that helped or harmed the reading.
The premise of the book begins with Lisick’s revelation, on New Year’s Day, that she has no discernible goals in her life, b...more
The premise of the book begins with Lisick’s revelation, on New Year’s Day, that she has no discernible goals in her life, b...more
In Helping Me Help Myself, Beth Lisick wakes up on New Year's Day with a banged-up knee and a head full of nagging issues. At the age of 37, she’s doing pretty well for herself on the surface: she’s happily married, has an adorable son, and owns her own house. However, it is the little things that make her life not-so-perfect. She’s disorganized, out of shape, and still lives pay check to pay check. Lisick decides that over the next year she will seek out the advice of the top self-help guru...more
When I saw this at the library I almost hopped up and down, I was so excited. I had read about this book, and was excited to read it, and there it was - I hadn't even reqeusted it.
But sadly, this was one of those books where I thought- thank god I'm good at speed reading. I did want to finish it, but I didn't want to spend too much time doing it.
I don't want to say too much bad about the book, because it looks like the author lives nearby and works with friends of frien...more
But sadly, this was one of those books where I thought- thank god I'm good at speed reading. I did want to finish it, but I didn't want to spend too much time doing it.
I don't want to say too much bad about the book, because it looks like the author lives nearby and works with friends of frien...more
The note/over title on the cover reads, “one skeptic, ten self-help gurus, and a year on the bring on the comfort zone.” This book documents Lisick’s year of self-help including Jack Canfield (The Success Principles), Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits…), Richard Simmons, John Gray (Men are from Mars…), Julie Morgenstern (Organizing from the Inside Out), Thomas W. Phelan (123 Magic…), Suze Orman, Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way), Deepak Chopra and Sylvia Browne. (Did I miss anyone?) Lisick reads th...more
I read a lot of this currently hip genre - doing some project each month for a year and then writing about it. It is, apparently, what GenX slackers like myself like to do and then write about. I am totally drawn to this - it fits me perfectly with my project driven life.
Beth Lisick tries a new self help thing each month for a year - she thinks that it might be a better resolution then learning how to do the splits. Seriously, that is her thinking. She has never bought a self help bo...more
Beth Lisick tries a new self help thing each month for a year - she thinks that it might be a better resolution then learning how to do the splits. Seriously, that is her thinking. She has never bought a self help bo...more
I admit it, I read Beth Lisick because she makes me feel better about my life. (A garbage bag covering MOLD on the bedroom wall? REALLY?)
She's funny and personable and I totally enjoy the time I get to virtually hang out with her, reading about her life. Loved her take on Richard Simmons and the minefield that is disciplining your kid. Loved the ahead-of-the-zeitgeist observations about Suze Orman. She really nails the "How to Win Friends" cult.
But I call bullshi...more
She's funny and personable and I totally enjoy the time I get to virtually hang out with her, reading about her life. Loved her take on Richard Simmons and the minefield that is disciplining your kid. Loved the ahead-of-the-zeitgeist observations about Suze Orman. She really nails the "How to Win Friends" cult.
But I call bullshi...more
Like many books I've read, the concept of this one was way better than its execution. In this memoir, Beth Lisick joins the ranks of Julie Powell, A.J. Jacobs, and others who take on a crazy one-year project and then write a memoir describing its influence on their day-to-day life and/or their long-term worldview. Lisick's project: to test out the self-help genre as well as the limits of her cynicism, and possibly even get her life on track, by trying to follow the guidelines of one self-help ...more
I picked up this book because, as a therapist, of course I have read several self-help books, and am a big believer in them (although I know there is crap out there too!). Anyways, the author spent a year trying to turn her life around by using self-help information, and wrote a book about it.
Lisick is funny and has some good lines, and some of the adventures are good. However, I had a really hard time not judging her constant complaints about having no money, yet spending thousands of dol...more
Lisick is funny and has some good lines, and some of the adventures are good. However, I had a really hard time not judging her constant complaints about having no money, yet spending thousands of dol...more
Three stars because I love Beth Lisick as a person, plus she's a local writer. But this one wasn't all there. The concept is great: follow the advice of one mega-popular self-help book each month for a year. She covers everyone from Jack "The Secret" Canfield to Suze Orman to Deepak Chopra, attending expensive self-help seminars and conferences and even a cruise with Richard Simmons.
But she teases, only giving us little bits and samples of how she actually applied the advi...more
But she teases, only giving us little bits and samples of how she actually applied the advi...more
I read this over spring break, but I seem to have forgotten to add it to my list of books read this year.
Didn’t I already read this book? No, it wasn’t this one, but the idea behind it was exactly the same. The book is Practically Perfect in Every Way and in it the author attempts to try to improve herself by reading self-help books. Beth Lisick does the same thing, but she also decides to try attending a workshop by the author of the self-help book. She feels, by the end of her yea...more
Didn’t I already read this book? No, it wasn’t this one, but the idea behind it was exactly the same. The book is Practically Perfect in Every Way and in it the author attempts to try to improve herself by reading self-help books. Beth Lisick does the same thing, but she also decides to try attending a workshop by the author of the self-help book. She feels, by the end of her yea...more
Though this book is rife with hilarious sarcasm and one woman's skeptical attempt to explore life coach's, weight loss cruises and self help guru's galore, it actually helped REDUCE my own growing disillusionment with self improvement techniques. You know how sometimes you randomly read a book just when you need to? That's what happened to me. Having worked in the spiritual industry and getting to much insider information into the often hypocritical personal lives of some of my favorite inspirin...more
Having a difficult time jumping into the book. I'm only a few chapters in - hope it gets good soon
Amusing spin on individuals who would never be caught in self-help, and what they might gain from it...
She grew up in San Francisco, went to UC Santa Cruz, and now lives in Berkeley. Is it any wonder that I share so many of her attitudes and opinions?! I loved the wit and the easy-breezy nature of her somewhat sardonic style. Very clever approach- she tries a new self-help guru on for size each month for a year, mostly because she can't believe that people truly go for that stuff. She does have a big heart though which keeps the snark level manageable. Fun reading that doesn't leave you feel...more
I first started reading Beth Lisick's book because I heard her reading at Litquake in San Francisco (which she describes in the course of her book). I thought her reading was hilarious and I loved her presentation style. I knew then that I had to read her book..
However, the book itself does not live up to Lisick's style. It is amusing and makes me feel better about my own problems in life, but it loses the flare that made me find her amusing and hilarious. Overall, I feel she is a be...more
However, the book itself does not live up to Lisick's style. It is amusing and makes me feel better about my own problems in life, but it loses the flare that made me find her amusing and hilarious. Overall, I feel she is a be...more
Beth Lisick's "Helping Me Help Myself" falls into the growing category of "my year of xxx" books. You know, my year of cooking the entire cookbook, my year of following all the rules in the Bible, etc. In this case, the author wakes up one New Year's Day, decides her life isn't really going as well as she'd thought, and decides to devote the next year to improving herself by seeking out the top self-help expert in each of her problem areas. She spends a month on personal fina...more
I read Lisick's book "Everybody into the Pool" and it was really funny. She lives around the corner from me and often references life in South Berkeley in her writing, which makes it even more fun to read. I couldn't wait for more Lisick humor when I picked up this book from the library.
"Helping me Help Myself" didn't deliver. It sounds like it will be a funny and informative romp through the self-help movement, made all the more hilarious because Lisick's life...more
"Helping me Help Myself" didn't deliver. It sounds like it will be a funny and informative romp through the self-help movement, made all the more hilarious because Lisick's life...more
This book was a lot of fun. Lisick is cynical and funny but not so hardened to just spend the whole book mocking the self-help programs she is trying to learn about. Don't get me wrong, she comes in with a dose of humor for each of the programs but she is also willing to look at their benefits and does get pulled into their "world." For example, she goes on a cruise with Richard Simmons and while I'm sure it would be easy to mock mercilessly, she is captured by his enthusiasm and lo...more
I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't really it. I guess I thought it would be funnier, more mocking of the self-help stuff, since I think the attitude of the author is the same as mine and most people I know who were raised in a certain era, in a certian geography. Basically, Beth is a hipper version of myself, but I would have been way more judgey and sarcastic than she is. She makes such an earnest effort to keep an open mind in each area, which is laudable, but most of the section...more
I hated "Everyone into the Pool". While I love Porchlight, it would be MUCH better if she and Arline took turns MC'ing it rather than both shouting into the microphone-it destoys it for me. But, still, I pick this book up (and boy, oh boy, do I feel bad admitting this when there's a story in the book about how crushed she was when someone in a bookstore said something mean to her about the first one)
I picked it up because the material seemed interesting-I'd spent the summ...more
I picked it up because the material seemed interesting-I'd spent the summ...more
i suspect i would like beth lisek very much if i met her on the street...particularly if she were dressed in a banana costume. in fact, i have added her to my list of imaginary friends (a very select group of clever people which includes david sedaris, sarah vowell, ira glass, bill bryson, johnathan franzen, and nick hornby. that said, i was a little disappointed by this book. i like the premise, that ms. lisek would spend a year ernestly trying to improve herself through reading popular self-h...more
while not as laugh out loud funny as her others, i would chalk that up the subject matter and beth's earnest attempt to walk away having learned something from her year with the "gurus" (of which john gray is one-whoa). an attempt i admire-it would have been much easier to sarcastically make her way through, dropping snide comments to the reader like it was our very own personal joke. but that would have been too easy, and cheapened the experience in the long run. and we all know th...more
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Beth Lisick, author of the New York Times bestselling book Everybody into the Pool, is also a performer and odd-jobs enthusiast. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies including Best American Poetry, the Christian Science Monitor, and Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Movement. She has contributed to public radio's This American Life and is the cofounder...more
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