Yeah, No. Not Happening.: How I Found Happiness Swearing Off Self-Improvement and Saying F*ck It All—And How You Can Too

In this funny, well-researched work, Karbo (In Praise of Difficult Women) explains how she ditched “self-improvery” and learned to live as her “true self.” While railing against “the great female self-improvement bamboozlement,” Karbo weaves in her own story of focusing on self-care and embracing imperfections, and details years of on-and-off-again dieting and struggles with anxiety. Her advice is straightforward and includes such tips such as “care for yourself like you would a beloved pet,” “wean yourself off compulsive phone checking,” and quit believing in antiquated relationship ideas like women “are too much and not enough.” She also asks readers to back away from social media and to stop spending money on beauty routines and unproven, expensive products such as so-called “skinny teas.” To bolster her points, she includes references to Brene Brown’s lectures on shame and cultural critic Ellen Willis’s 1970 “Women and the Myth of Consumerism,” as well as many interviews with women who have resisted “the longest con out there, self-improvement.” Readers interested in feminist-based self-help will learn from and be entertained by this empowering guide. (June)