Unworthy

How to Stop Hating Yourself

By: Anneli Rufus

Narrated by: Rose Itzcovitz

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

"Self-loathing is a dark land studded with booby-traps. Fumbling through its dark underbrush, we cannot see what our trouble actually is: that we are mistaken about ourselves. That we were told lies long ago which we, in love and loyalty and fear, believed. Will we believe ourselves to death?" (from Unworthy).

As someone who has struggled with low self-esteem her entire life, Anneli Rufus knows only too well how the world looks through the eyes of those who are not comfortable in their own skin. In Unworthy, Rufus boldly explores how a lack of faith in ourselves can turn us into our own worst enemies. Drawing on extensive research, enlightening interviews, and her own poignant experiences, Rufus considers the question: What personal, societal, biological, and historical factors coalesced to spark this secret epidemic, and what can be done to put a stop to it? She reveals the underlying sources of low self-esteem and leads us through strategies for positive change.

©2014 Anneli Rufus (P)2014 Gildan Media LLC

valuable book marred by unskilled reader

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes. the book contains excellent ideas and information for those with low self-esteem.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Rose Itzcovitz?

Probably not. She mispronounced a number of words throughout, which threw me off. Also, she didn't have a good conversational flow -- more like an uneasy student reading their essay aloud before the class, rushing through the words without telling the story. There didn't seem to be any distinction between paragraphs, quotations or citations, etc.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Unworthy?

A big emphasis is placed on the idea of simply realizing how much of your life have you wasted based on feeling inadequate to take part in life, simply because you were shamed by someone.

Any additional comments?

Buying a hard copy of the book to review with the proper context and emphasis that I suspect was lost in the reading. Plus, I can loan that out to a friend or two who would benefit from the content.

disappointing

a little too self absorbed for me, like we are witness to her therapy more than she is actually an expert on the topic. I identified with much of it and wished she took more of an evolved and empowered position. because she didn't, I guess it's in line with the idea of the subject itself, but I read it to try and help myself, not as a meta experience of how poorly one who hatesc themselves executes their craft. the narrator likely made it all the more difficult to listen to. I wish authors read their own books or had someone read it who actually cared about it. this was a painful narration. so surfacey and fake. I have a few stars because I do like the one idea of finding a physical place that you do not hate yourself. that feels helpful. the rest left me nothing to work with.

Nope

This book is too focused on the negative. Not making me feel better at all!

Probably changed my life!

I heard the author talk about low self esteem on an NPR radio story, and thought that sounded like me. This book has the potential to change lives. Highly recommended!

going in the not finished/waste of a credit pile

I had high hopes for this book but at the half way mark, I am giving up and refusing to waste more of my time. I thought this would be a book that empowered and offered tools for personal change. So far it seems to be a mix of random quotes and research to prove that some people have low self-esteem at least in part because of their genetic make up. It also felt much like the author was trying to justify herself to some audience. The chosen narrator's voice added to this feeling. The combined effect reminded me of listening to self-absorbed teenagers in poor me mode. Perhaps there is useful information in the final chapter or two but I am not willing to waste more time in finding out. Do NOT recommend!

Not helpful

It just goes on forever about why this person hates themselves. Not helpful. If you cut out the helpful parts it would probably be 45 mins long

Irritating narrator ruins the read

I have only been able to get through a chapter and a half of this audiobook. And it’s a shame, because the content seems to be exactly what I need at this moment in time. Unfortunately, the narrator is just awful. Passages meant to be delivered empathetically and with seriousness are chipper nightmares of uneven cadence and misplaced emphasis. Mispronunciations abound. Statements are read as questions while actual questions are delivered with what can only be described as a “voluminous squeak”. There was also some sarcasm that seemed really out of place and was quite jolting. I found that I could not discern the author’s meaning through the cacophony and gave up. I will be exchanging this audiobook for the text instead.

insightful

definitely a few things that struck a chord for me but I will be reading additionally on the subject

How to feel awful

I thought I hated myself at times, until I began listening to this book. It was so awful and depressing that I had to stop. Unworthy of publication is more like it.

Unworthy

This book is read in a different way from what I’m used to. Some may like it but I would listen to the sample first.