Everything Is F*cked

A Book About Hope

De: Mark Manson

Narrado por: Mark Manson

New York Times Bestseller

“Just because everything appears to be a mess doesn’t mean you have to be one. Mark Manson’s book is a call to arms for a better life and better world and could not be more needed right now.” — Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy

From the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope.

We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.

What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle; to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different countries.

In Everthing Is F*cked, Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.

With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.

I love Manson, but read his other books instead

I’ve been a huge Mark Manson fan for almost six years. When I first read “Models,” I was floored. A couple of years later, when he released “The Subtle Art…” I was also pretty blown away. I just love his writing style, personality, and humor; I find him to be extremely relatable and effective.

I actually first read this one, in print, the day it came out. My first pass through the book left me disappointed. All the same Manson trademarks (the humor, the swears, the seemingly strange references) were there, but the helpfulness and positivity were not. At the time, this book about hope seemed like anything but. As such, I was quite let down.

That was 18 or so months ago. As we all do, I’ve changed and learned some things in the last year and a half, so I was curious to go back and see if I now saw this book in a different light. I grabbed the audio version to move through it quicker. Unfortunately, after listening, I felt pretty much the same way I did the first time around. Here’s why.

Though the book is extremely well-written, well-paced, well-cited, and clever, it’s the definition of a bait and switch. Manson lures the reader in with a catchy title and suggests that, although the world seems fractured, hope will save us. If you get all the way to the end, however, you’ll find that that’s actually the complete opposite of his argument.

In fact, Manson’s true argument here is that hope is flawed and dangerous. It’s what led to all the war, struggle, and destruction over the course of human history. Moreover, he says that we should not hope, ever — we should instead just be better. This is where I think his argument collapses upon itself and loses me. Here’s what I mean by that.

We often say that money is the root of all evil. But money is just a tool. So is hope. Neither one has any inherent goodness or badness — it’s all in what we make of each one. When we use hope destructively, it can lead to cheating, corruption, and war. But when we use it in a positive fashion, it can lead to prosperity, togetherness, and inspiration.

This is where I think Manson gets it wrong. Rather than just saying, “Hey, hope can be bad, so watch out,” he casts it as all bad, which, in my mind, is incorrect. This leads to an overall, pervasive feeling of pessimism throughout the manuscript, in spite of some of his other solid arguments along the way.

That leads me to another thing I disliked about this book — that dark tone. Manson, in this book’s early pages, says that this is not a work based around nihilism. But after reading it twice, it’s clear that it is. Could a book that isn’t about nihilism really end by saying that we are nothing and never were anything? At least in my mind, I don’t think so.

Of course, as a huge Manson fan, the expectations were super high, and it can be tough to live up to those expectations. Regardless of that fact, however, I feel like Manson blew it with this one. It could’ve been SO good. He could’ve continued his “The Subtle Art…” success by offering people some form of peace and clarity here. Instead, however, he leaves the reader wondering what the heck to think and what in the world just happened.

So, in sum: if you like Manson’s style, you’ll still find parts of this one that you enjoy. After all, he’s clearly a very smart person and a great writer, and that shows here. But, on the whole, if you’re looking for a dash of positivity, even usefulness, as many of us found in his previous books, you won’t find it here. That said, I still highly recommend his other books instead.

Mark, if you’re somehow reading this, know that I still love your work, overall. Just, for the love of all things holy, please lighten things up a bit next time.

-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head”

Not as entertaining as the first

Not nearly as enjoyable as the first to listen to but was still worth the read. I guess being less entertaining is part of the point of the book in light of the topic of distraction.

How to be depressed if you aren't already

Will save you some time. Hope is silly. We are all less important than we think we are. We need to suffer more and be happy less. AI will be God eventually. Depression is a supreme lack of hope so this book just reinforces that we are on the right track

Why humans should think about “why”

This book allows the reader to not only become critical of life but more importantly the life they are living. If you read this book and immediately start blaming someone or something for the problems or adversity in your life. Then you have missed the entire purpose of why this book is written. Being critical is one thing but becoming critical of ones self is another and much more important thing. Why did you read this review? Why did you wake up this morning? Why did you eat that for breakfast? Why did that something upset you? Why did that make you feel happy?

thought provoking

it is kind of dark but yet very thought provoking. I enjoyed the author's insights and perspective. At times it was depressing since it can be really in your face and shatter some of your beliefs. However, there is something freeing from this very open and blunt perspective.