Readers are in for a treat with this one. Weighing in at a scant 158 pages this slim volume makes up for its small size by being filled with keen, biting
satire. Its eight brief
chapters have but one goal: to help you to realize the worst possible version of yourself. The chapters are arranged in the format of a
self-help manual, except in this case each one is designed to send an individual
deeper and deeper into the depths of personal hell, featuring titles like “12 Steps To A Drinking Problem”, “Condoms Are For Suckers” and “How To Lose Too Much Weight In 90 Days”. The book gets more ridiculous as it progresses. Each chapter opens with a short survey used to gauge how many risks a reader has taken or is willing to take. From there a selection of advice and techniques is offered to help get the reader started down the road to depravity, and stay on it once they are there. Rationalization and justification are encouraged. Reason and
accountability are dismissed as cop-outs. The
Chapter entitled “Your Brain On Drugs” even includes a word search
puzzle and a cross word puzzle loaded with drug culture jargon, along with a standardized test for drug users. Illustrations are plentiful throughout, as well. While done in the spirit of entertainment this little book is actually quite insightful and subtly reveals the patterns of thinking and behavior that people allow themselves to be pulled into, either willingly or unwillingly, that lead to their downfall. It also, very cleverly, exposes many of the stereotypes of race, gender and lifestyle that are often associated with certain practices or behaviors. The authors do not take themselves or their work at all seriously and poke fun at both throughout the course of the book.
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