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The Misanthrope's Guide to Life:
Misanthrope, One who hates mankind; a curmudgeon; a loner;2.) The guy in your office who responded to your e-mail of baby photos with "D-. Passing, but not college material";3.) A RealistFrom The Misanthrope's Guide to LifeIn this guide, you'll learn how to get away from the pain-in-the-asses who make you seriously consider investing in a fallout shelter and making it your new home. You'll take isolated comfort in these survival strategies, including how managed incoherence to get the delivery boy from the lobby to your doorTake a "French leave" in order to eat alone at workGet ousted from your kickball league by dressing as Magnum, P.I. for every gameGet back at the jerk yapping on his cell phone by reciting the lyrics to Harry Chapin's version of "Cat's in the Cradle"End a conversation by "Gwynething" (also known as playing the "I'm delightfully foreign" act) someone to deathThis is the survival guide you will be annoyed not to have.
- GenresHumorNonfictionComedy
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2011
29 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 14, 2011
I am not even gonna lie....I wanna marry this book. Seriously if you like tongue in the cheek humor and don't mind a little bit of offensiveness (and if you do then lighten up) you need to read this book soon. It's free on Barnes & Noble and Amazon so you have no excuse NOT to go get it, download it, and read it. (Other than having no computer...in which case how in the world are you seeing this review????!!!!
NOW!
NOW!
March 1, 2012
Pretty sure only a true misanthrope would love this book. You don't count if you just "sometimes feel that way" in which case...you might be mildly amused by it, or just not understand it at all. Then you'll probably jump on Goodreads to give it one or two stars and say it was childish or contained too many bad words. But if you hate people and love the word sh*t, you'll love this book!
I loved this book so hard, and am pretty sure I will feel the need to read it once or twice a month.
I loved this book so hard, and am pretty sure I will feel the need to read it once or twice a month.
February 18, 2013
The Misanthrope's Guide to Life (Go Away!) is the Bible for people who hate people. This book is written by two award-winning comedy writers. They are called "the thinking man's Beavis and butthead" (1). Even the authors of this book live in separate states: one in Washington D.C and one in New Orleans. The authors start with the definition of a misanthrope, and give you a choice of three definitions to pick from: from a" loner" to a "realist".
This book is organized into ten basic chapters. Each chapter shows the misanthrope relating to people in various life situations. It even includes the misanthrope's prayer. I found myself laughing my whole way through the book. I found myself relating to almost all of the situations in the book. Each chapter gives examples related to the chapter's theme . For example, chapter one "The Agnew to my Nixon, a Misanthrope Among Friends," talks about a situation and what to say or do when your friend in a terrible band asks for your "honest opinion" of their music. Situation like this, when any sane person would want to lie, are numerous in the book. They talk about convincing your friend to elope so you are not stuck having the "honor" of being in their wedding party.
Do you wonder if you would enjoy reading this book? Do motivational posters make you gag? Do you only date orphans so that you never have to meet any potential in-laws? Do you dream of releasing hoards of iguanas just to keep trick-or-treaters off your lawn? If the thought of the office Christmas party makes you instinctively reach for the whisky and the only contact on your phone is the take out place down the street, then this book will change your life, just like it did mine. This book talks about what we would all like to say sometimes instead of being tactful. This book talks about dignity and tact, versus what we really want to do sometimes.
Don't worry, my fellow misanthropes, you are not alone. For all of my life I thought something was wrong with me. Whenever the other children would play tag, my response to "you're it!" was always "Touch me again and I will scream." And in my later years I would always get ostracized from groups of "friends" for saying things like "small children disgust me" every time one was within punting distance. Or people would get upset when I would start harassing PETA volunteers by shouting "I LIKE MY TUNA TO HAVE DOLPHINS IN IT!" and I would begin laughing when they would start crying. The book is about the small things, like preferring a long-distance relationship with bi-monthly visits versus living with anyone that isn't my morbidly obese housecat.
This book has it all: the history of misanthropy to guides on how to deal with every major holiday in a way that lets every misanthrope enjoy themselves. It also tells you, how to convince your boss to let you work from home, surviving the horrors of public transportation, how to act just crazy enough to keep the neighborhood kids from bothering you, dealing with that one thing that your roommate does that makes you so angry that your eyes leak blood, and even a simple quiz to see what kind of misanthrope you are.
You can flip to any page in this book and learn something useful. No seriously, the first time I picked up this book I just flipped to a random page and learned how to say "I hate everyone" in Hebrew! Everyone who picks up this book will find something that they identify with and enjoy.
Citations
1. Rowland, M. & Turner-Neal C. (2011). The Misanthrope's Guide to Life (Go Away!). Avon, MA: Adams Media. page 199 (about the authors).
This book is organized into ten basic chapters. Each chapter shows the misanthrope relating to people in various life situations. It even includes the misanthrope's prayer. I found myself laughing my whole way through the book. I found myself relating to almost all of the situations in the book. Each chapter gives examples related to the chapter's theme . For example, chapter one "The Agnew to my Nixon, a Misanthrope Among Friends," talks about a situation and what to say or do when your friend in a terrible band asks for your "honest opinion" of their music. Situation like this, when any sane person would want to lie, are numerous in the book. They talk about convincing your friend to elope so you are not stuck having the "honor" of being in their wedding party.
Do you wonder if you would enjoy reading this book? Do motivational posters make you gag? Do you only date orphans so that you never have to meet any potential in-laws? Do you dream of releasing hoards of iguanas just to keep trick-or-treaters off your lawn? If the thought of the office Christmas party makes you instinctively reach for the whisky and the only contact on your phone is the take out place down the street, then this book will change your life, just like it did mine. This book talks about what we would all like to say sometimes instead of being tactful. This book talks about dignity and tact, versus what we really want to do sometimes.
Don't worry, my fellow misanthropes, you are not alone. For all of my life I thought something was wrong with me. Whenever the other children would play tag, my response to "you're it!" was always "Touch me again and I will scream." And in my later years I would always get ostracized from groups of "friends" for saying things like "small children disgust me" every time one was within punting distance. Or people would get upset when I would start harassing PETA volunteers by shouting "I LIKE MY TUNA TO HAVE DOLPHINS IN IT!" and I would begin laughing when they would start crying. The book is about the small things, like preferring a long-distance relationship with bi-monthly visits versus living with anyone that isn't my morbidly obese housecat.
This book has it all: the history of misanthropy to guides on how to deal with every major holiday in a way that lets every misanthrope enjoy themselves. It also tells you, how to convince your boss to let you work from home, surviving the horrors of public transportation, how to act just crazy enough to keep the neighborhood kids from bothering you, dealing with that one thing that your roommate does that makes you so angry that your eyes leak blood, and even a simple quiz to see what kind of misanthrope you are.
You can flip to any page in this book and learn something useful. No seriously, the first time I picked up this book I just flipped to a random page and learned how to say "I hate everyone" in Hebrew! Everyone who picks up this book will find something that they identify with and enjoy.
Citations
1. Rowland, M. & Turner-Neal C. (2011). The Misanthrope's Guide to Life (Go Away!). Avon, MA: Adams Media. page 199 (about the authors).
December 24, 2011
(Taken from my blog; www.theultimatebooknook.blogspot.com)
Just the description alone made me want to read this book. I have my moments of, "I hate everything and everyone" so I really wanted to read this. And it was worth it, for the most part. There were parts that seemed to be taken right out of my brain at times. Others, I just thought were great ideas.
The book had me from the start. I laughed out loud several times. About half way through it, though, I got bored. It was almost like the authors ran out of things to talk about and just started randomly throwing stuff in, just so they could have a book. Also, if you get the e-book version, be prepared for a lot of punctuation errors. It drove me nuts, which is kind of ironic, actually.
The book has a lot of strong language, a ton of f-bombs, and can be pretty crude at times but it is funny. If you don't mind those things and you have those thoughts of, "I hate you all," I suggest reading it. It is fun and very fast. It is the perfect book to put on your coffee table or in your bathroom. You can read little snippets at a time, have a good laugh, then move on to other things.
Just the description alone made me want to read this book. I have my moments of, "I hate everything and everyone" so I really wanted to read this. And it was worth it, for the most part. There were parts that seemed to be taken right out of my brain at times. Others, I just thought were great ideas.
The book had me from the start. I laughed out loud several times. About half way through it, though, I got bored. It was almost like the authors ran out of things to talk about and just started randomly throwing stuff in, just so they could have a book. Also, if you get the e-book version, be prepared for a lot of punctuation errors. It drove me nuts, which is kind of ironic, actually.
The book has a lot of strong language, a ton of f-bombs, and can be pretty crude at times but it is funny. If you don't mind those things and you have those thoughts of, "I hate you all," I suggest reading it. It is fun and very fast. It is the perfect book to put on your coffee table or in your bathroom. You can read little snippets at a time, have a good laugh, then move on to other things.
July 12, 2012
I know a person who would love this book, for the somewhat crude humor (definitely laugh-out-loud at some points) and descriptions of misanthropic behavior which I find a little extreme, but suit that person very well. They'd probably give it 4 stars at least, but I'm leaving a 3 - it just doesn't strike that chord with me. The whole book is essentially a big inside joke, so as you can tell from the other reviews it's definitely going to leave some cold and others wiping away tears of mirth at the familiarity of it all.
A warning: This book is very US-centric, with lots of references to American pop culture. I didn't get at least half of them, but I sort of guessed the meanings, so it was still funny.
I also read the print edition, which doesn't have the little editing errors that seem to be pissing ebook readers off.
A warning: This book is very US-centric, with lots of references to American pop culture. I didn't get at least half of them, but I sort of guessed the meanings, so it was still funny.
I also read the print edition, which doesn't have the little editing errors that seem to be pissing ebook readers off.
January 1, 2012
I obtained this as a Kindle freebie; I would rather have paid for it and not read it than read it and not paid for it. It's not funny, it's not useful, and it has a small but real need to be reviewed by a copy-editor.
December 11, 2011
Hilarious book. Forget that bored expression you generally reserve for reading non fiction; dig in and be a hater! You will not read anything funnier!
January 6, 2015
Meh... Kinda funny, Kinda not, Its partly about how to deal with not liking people but how to fake it well. other parts is just the authors exp in situations. It was a read..
February 22, 2024
I read the majority of this, it was funny in places and silly in others. Generally, it did clarify one thing for me. I'm not a misanthrope. It's just that the people I know in real life are absolutely twats and that's the reason I avoid them.
December 17, 2018
great book!
very funny and most informative. i discovered that i am ...OMG... a misanthrope. oh, the pain! a must read book!
very funny and most informative. i discovered that i am ...OMG... a misanthrope. oh, the pain! a must read book!
February 1, 2021
Pretty Good
Really funny. Recommend. I hate people just as much as the next misanthrope and I'm glad we can laugh about it.
Really funny. Recommend. I hate people just as much as the next misanthrope and I'm glad we can laugh about it.
March 11, 2021
Funny. Took me long enough to get through it, but it's a fast read.
December 22, 2011
Okay, maybe it makes me a terrible person, but when I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. Besides, it was free on Kindle. I definitely got more than a few laughs out of it, but the language was a bit much. After about the 5th use of the "f-word" and several crude remarks, it stopped being edgy and just came off as unintelligent and unoriginal. I finished the book, persevering because it IS very funny, particularly for people like myself who can tend to be a bit...curmudgeonly. Would I recommend it? Probably not. Would I read excerpts of it to friends with a twisted sense of humor? Oh yes.
October 23, 2016
Probably one of the most 'shallow' books I've ever read. Nothing original or 'clever', but rather seems like a passive-aggressive monologue of the authors who just found an outlet of their rage towards humanity.
To hate people is one thing, but to have an explainable reason as to why such hate exists is another, and this book seems to be lacking the latter.
Once again, if you are interested in a passive-aggressive stories and so called instructions on how to avoid people, this book is for you.
But if you are rather interested in a true misanthropy, just stick with Schopenhauer as this modern rubbish doesn't even resemble anything close to a valuable literature.
To hate people is one thing, but to have an explainable reason as to why such hate exists is another, and this book seems to be lacking the latter.
Once again, if you are interested in a passive-aggressive stories and so called instructions on how to avoid people, this book is for you.
But if you are rather interested in a true misanthropy, just stick with Schopenhauer as this modern rubbish doesn't even resemble anything close to a valuable literature.
May 5, 2012
This book is mildly irreverent (some swearing throughout) but dang if it didn't make me guffaw. Honestly, the point is that these two authors have it ON THE NOSE. I am a misanthrope. I read in the staff lunch room so that people won't talk to me. etc. etc. The book is quite brilliant in categorizing the areas in which we are misanthropic and providing hilarious and sometimes practical solutions for the problem of TOO MUCH PEOPLE.
The formatting of the ebook version left much to be desired. I would rather have this in a hardcover anyway. Hilarious!
The formatting of the ebook version left much to be desired. I would rather have this in a hardcover anyway. Hilarious!
February 16, 2016
I finished this book in a single 24 hour block... and that may have been a mistake. At the beginning of the book I was repeatedly laughing out loud, but by about half way through it just... lost something. Maybe it was too much of the same all at once? Maybe the writing started to go flat? I'm not sure. I feel a little bad giving it only 3 stars, given how much I enjoyed the first half of the book.
January 5, 2012
So I read this book on my airplane ride to Mexico and all throughout the flight I would have to bite my hand to keep from laughing maniacally. Thank goodness the people next to me were asleep so they couldn't see all the crazy dark humor I was laughing at. Is it bad that I really relates to most of the scenarios in the book?
May 3, 2012
I started this book, thought the first quarter or so was pretty good, then it bogged down in the sex/dating/marriage part and I lost interest. At some point I'll go back and slog through the last half, but for right now I'm gonna have to call it abandoned.
The eBook had several formatting errors, mostly punctuation. About half of what should be commas are apostrophes.
The eBook had several formatting errors, mostly punctuation. About half of what should be commas are apostrophes.
January 10, 2012
Great to lighten up when in the "I just can't stand anyone right now" mood. Also, I think it's best to read one or two sections at the time, otherwise it does seem to get very repetitive (same humour and topic).
December 25, 2011
loved it, and laughed a ton. i'd say a true misanthrope would use the f word to turn people off but other people who dont understand that would call it "unoriginal" or used as a 5th grader. rolling eyes.
February 10, 2012
It may be because I've been exposed to a lot of this type of humor, but there wasn't much here that felt particularly clever or original. It was amusing, but far from hilarious. I come away feeling pretty "meh" about it, and I'm sorry, because I wanted to enjoy it a lot more.
March 28, 2012
There were some funny parts to this book, but it was really cynical and sarcastic. And even I, who enjoy how hilarious being insensitive can be, didn't care for the majority of what was in it. I probably wont ever read it again nor recommend it to anyone I know.
February 11, 2017
I bought this for a friend, and after reading the first few pages, i thought it was going to be hilarious, and bought my own copy a few days later. It was okay, it had its moments, but on the whole it was only all right. To my mind, the humor crosses a line at times.
December 28, 2011
3.675 stars. Starts out hilariously, tapers off for a while, gets funny again, but pretty repetitious after a while.
December 26, 2011
Hysterical for the true misanthrope, the introvert, the aloof, or a wannabe of all of the above.
January 21, 2012
Just terrible.
January 13, 2012
Mildly amusing, but not my style of humor. Gave up after a few chapters.
March 17, 2012
An entertaining read, especially for those of us who need our 'me' time.
November 8, 2012
Funny at times. Dull at other times. I'm not a misanthrope, but if I was I'd probably love this book more than people.
August 17, 2012
This is my favorite of Meghan and Chris's 3 books to date. It was so hilarious and charming, it is the perfect diversionary book. Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews