Review of How To Be Successful

[mbhuibregtse]

[i][Following is a volunteer review of "How To Be Successful" by M. Curtis McCoy.][/i]

[rwc=id449801-125]2 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]M. Curtis McCoy has been addicted to success his whole life. His book, [i]How to Be Successful and Think Like a Leader[/i] is a memoir depicting McCoy’s journey to his success. Before writing this book, he had a social media following on successful life principles. He wrote [i]How to Be Successful and Think Like a Leader[/i] when a friend expressed that his help had caused him to avoid suicide. The book is a collection of non-fiction stories describing life struggles and triumphs.



I found some of the stories to be relatively interesting. I liked how the author’s family was interviewed about their own lives. I connect to stories, and appreciated the format.



I felt that the book was arrogantly written and for a small audience. All interviewees had a strong faith and a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality in a white man’s world. This doesn’t sit well with me. One interviewee brags about reading 6.4 books a month. Who says that? Just say you read! There are dozens of other factors that people can face leading their journey to success to be not so black and white. The level of privilege through the book was off-putting. McCoy was able to fly to another country for alternative treatments for his health issues. This is a huge aspect of privilege that isn’t acknowledged by him. Mental health, systemic poverty, and addiction issues are all examples of things that real people seeking success may face. The interviewees claimed to have struggled, which I am sure they did. However, it is never described, and therefore not relatable.



I give this book [b]2 out of 4 stars[/b] . As previously stated, the author ignores so many factors that can be obstacles for success. As someone who enjoys inspirational and self-help reads, I felt that I couldn’t relate to the author based on my background. As someone who was really struggling to get on my feet, I would be irate from reading the author repeat blanket statements such as “work hard” and “do not give up.” This isn’t relatable, nor inspirational.



This book is for a small audience. First, I think readers must be religious to enjoy it. Bible verses are thrown around without and description or explanation of how they were helpful. It seems that every interviewee and the author has a tight nit family with unwavering support. I would have related to less picturesque circumstances. I would be weary to offer my support for this book to my friends and family.

******
[i]How To Be Successful [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=449801]on Bookshelves[/url] | [amazon=B086TWS1KJ]on Amazon[/amazon]