Self-help vs autobiography

Use this forum to discuss the April 2021 Book of the month, "There's a Rooster in My Bathroom: A Quest for Meaning in the Bathroom, the Boardroom and Beyond" by Trish Ostroski.
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Re: Self-help vs autobiography

Post by Dartemis »

I think she did an excellent job of blending the two together. I think the author using her own personal experiences to emphasize her points really added to what she was saying as a whole.
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Post by samps1910 »

I think the author succeeded. I always used to find self help books boring and never would read them fully but the way she portrayed her life to benefit the readers was incredible. People always want something to relate to, something to use as an example. The author definitely achieved that.
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Post by yomide »

The author really did impressed me with the way she painted her life story while in the same bit point out lessons from her experience. I think she successfully made the memoir also serve as self-help.
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Post by Sam Lauren »

Autobiographies are not necessarily about successful lives. Sure, there's some level of success attributed to publishing a book. Especially one about yourself, that others want to read. But it's not a defining quality. I would say the fact that you think it is shows that this author was successful at "combining self help and an autobiography."
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Post by S P »

I much prefer autobiographies, because everyone needs different tools to succeed or be happy, and self-help books only preach one perspective and expect it to help everyone. What I like about autobiographies (and about this book) is that it offers you a story, and you can take whatever you want from that story. I'm sure everyone has different opinions as to whether or not this book counts as a self-help book, because the story would have helped some people, but for others it would just be a good read!
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Post by Suzer6440 xyz »

I was so impressed with the way this was written. It was a combination of self help AND an autobiography. I loved the way the author offered us to peek into her own life, as well as discussing issues that teach children a lesson of life
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Post by MayorE »

The author did a good job at this. She blended self-help and autobiography into the book giving readers choice on what to like dislike or adapt.
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Post by Hiruni Hansika »

I agree that the writer succeeded in her attempt. When self help and autobiography combined, she can convey her message with examples to the reader.
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Post by Trinity Green »

I believe that receiving any book as self-help is entirely up to the reader. However, I think the author did a wonderful job of incorporating a self-help aspect that is woven with bits of her own life and autobiography. I think by incorporating the autobiography pieces she makes it easier for the people reading to grasp the help she is trying to give.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Bridgetbruso99 wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 03:49 I think she was successful. I think it's cool that she could see her life in this way, and be able to convey it into a book that people could benefit from. She has lead an interesting life to begin with, and the title alone really brings out her personality. Self-help doesn't have to be so boring and serious and she definitely gets that message across to the reader.
I agree. Most of the self-help books are quite boring to read because they try to maintain quite a philosophical accent (or a writing style). But why should they be so? Can't they be 'fun to read' books? Yes, they can be, and this book is the best example that I have seen so far for that.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Precious Naiti wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 06:52 An autobiography has the chance to also work as self-help and it all depends on the perspective of the reader and whether or not they are willing to have an impact made on their lives. It all ultimately comes down to whether or not an individual is reluctant to have impact made in his or her life. the author of this book was successful in ensuring that you can get help from the book if you are willing to make a change in your life.
Yes, ofcourse. People write autobiographies because they think that they lead an important or a useful life to others, and so they feel the need to express it to the world. The readers can read such stories and learn and apply important lessons to their lives.

The difference here is that the author has highlighted the self-help part of the book and helped the reader to identify the life lessons easily. So she has been successful in delivering an autobiography as well as a self-help book. In other words a '2 in 1' book.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

GoodLuck ES wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 11:42 I think she successfully combined autobiography and self help in the same book, which to me is a very commendable feat. But in my personal life, I prefer autobiographies cause it's always very relatable being that it's the author's personal story. I usually see how I and the author have shared experiences. So autobiography it is for me.
People have preferences. That is common to authors as well as readers. Some prefer autobiographies but some prefer self-help books. Seemingly this author has reached to a wider audience by reaching to both of these audiences by including the autobiography part as well as the self-help part in her book. And I don't think that she averted any of the readers who prefer only either self-help or autobiography genres, because she has blended the two aspects in her book very cleverly and subtly.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

lumenchristi wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 14:32 In my opinion, she was able to successfully inspire willing people with her unique way of life. I believe her life has been practical enough to be able to inspire herself and every other person that genuinely cares to learn from her experiences. So I concluded, it is an even blend of a self-help book and autobiography.
Yes, she has lead an inspirational life. Seemingly even she has been inspired by her life. Just telling her life story is inspirational enough. She has taken an extra step to highlight the self-help aspect of the book. Ultimately the book has become a perfect blend between a self-help book and an autobiography, as you correctly said.
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Post by El_limitless »

The author perfectly combined autobiography and self help in the book. I prefer to read autobiographies cause the writer, through his own story, teaches about mistakes he made and how he corrected those mistakes, and this helps me in my daily living.
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Post by Saint Bruno »

I think this book portrays how killing two birds with one stone is possible. I was both entertained through knowing the author's story and educated to become a better version of myself through the self-help aspect of the book. Therefore, this author has achieved both aspects and deserves to be commended.
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