Elan Gale has a message for you: you're not that great. In You're Not That Great (but neither is anyone else), Gale doesn't spread a lot of sunshine, but he does offer a little kick in the butt. He has some advice to help readers to be less not great. Gale, best known for his TV series The Bachelor, overcame some of his own failures and setbacks to achieve a high level of success in the world of entertainment. Maybe you can be better too.
The best part of You're Not That Great is chapter one, in which he reminds us about our inauspicious beginnings. "You began your life as a leech. . . . Your first act in this beautiful world was to cause the highest possible amount of pain to the person who loved you most. Nice work." In spite of the pain and hassles you caused, your parents still wanted you to think you were great. They told you your art was great, but "you probably drew a ridiculous son in the corner like some kind of idiot who has no sense of scale and no idea that if the sun were really that close it would burn all of our skin off. Idiot."
From there You're Not That Great becomes less funny and more challenging. Gale points out that the baseless positive affirmation we receive as children becomes an addiction. We crave positivity. "You are hopelessly and totally committed to FEELING GOOD when really you should be focused on BEING BETTER." Gale insisted that to be less not great, you need to learn from your failures, admit your own ignorance, stop dwelling on your regrets, learn from your mistakes, and use your shame, anxiety, and depression as "the building blocks you need to create a less sh---y life than the one you have."
Gale is profane, in your face, and unpleasant, but he is also practical and realistic. This is quite different from most self-help books, but probably more self-helpful (and entertaining) than most.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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