Official Review: The Building of a Confident Man

[GKCfan]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Building of a Confident Man" by Gregg Michaelsen.]

The Building of a Confident Man is a self-help book. Due to its brevity, it’s really more of an monograph. The Building of a Confident Man is the first in a series of four e-books meant to help men improve their dating skills.

A lot of the advice in this book is simply good common sense: be clean, eat sensibly, dress nicely, exercise regularly, and practice good personal hygiene. If a guy doesn’t know to do these things already, he deserves to have terrible luck with women. Other points are less commonly known. I do not want to reveal too many of Michaelsen’s secrets for success with women, but his advice for men to do more volunteer and charity work is excellent. Any man who feels insecure about his looks or personal wealth can boost his self-worth by helping others.

There are a few points of concern, namely Michaelsen’s diet and exercise advice. Much of what he says is pretty reasonable, but I would advise anybody attempting to adopt a healthier lifestyle to consult with a doctor, qualified nutritionist, or personal trainer first before adopting a new eating or exercise regimen.

Furthermore, the “clean yourself up and treat women well” advice is solid, but it fails to take into account some of the realities of the fallout of the sexual revolution. Many young men today bear the psychological scars of broken homes, unfaithful partners, and childhood instability. These traumas leave numerous men with serious trust issues, and no amount of snazzy dressing or swanky apartments will help this.

Michaelsen’s prose is particularly notable for its easygoing and fluid style. He comes across as a fun-loving guy who a lot of men would want as their good buddy or wingman. He clearly believes in his own advice, but from personal experience and the experiences of acquaintances, this advice is not “one size fits all.” The path of true love may never run smooth, and it just might happen that a guy’s dream woman happens to respond differently from the standard woman referenced in this book.

I should stress that this review does not judge the effectiveness of the dating advice in this book, but instead focuses on the style of Michaelsen’s prose and the reasonableness of Michaelsen’s life improvement advice. It’s an interesting read and the advice may work for lots of men, but reading the book doesn’t mean certain success in the dating world, although it may live up to its title by making men more confident.

I give this book three out of four stars (with the aforementioned caveats).

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