This Is How...

I'm a fan of Augusten Burroughs and was excited to hear he had a new book out. When I heard the title--This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike--I was pretty sure it was a joke. Alan read the book first, thinking the same thing. "I'm pretty sure he's serious," he said after reading the first chapter. After he finished, I picked it up and indeed, it is actually a self help book, a perceptive and intelligent one at that.

Burroughs has been through a lot so he can empathize about many of the issues he covers in the book. Others (such as "How to Let a Child Die") he doesn't have experience in, yet still manages to offer some insightful advice. One of the most interesting is "How to End Your Life" in which he argues that suicide does not accomplish what it is meant to and that far more effective is to walk away from your life, leave and start over. He actually did this and adopted a new name, Augusten Burroughs, and freed himself from his past. Like I said, a lot of it comes from a place that he visited so it seems like he really knows what he's talking about. It is an interesting book, at times funny, and gives you alternate perspectives to consider. If you're looking for a good self help book, check it out.