Review by Laila_Hashem -- Winners and Losers in words an...

[Laila Hashem]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Winners and Losers in words and cartoons" by Arthur Hartz.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Winners and Losers in words and cartoons by Arthur Hartz humorously describes the vast differences in the lives of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ as seen both by society and the winners and losers themselves. It begins by discussing how certain people come to be labeled as ‘winners’ or losers’. Winners, for instance, gain that title by having wealth, success, and fame, while losers have their titles because they do not appear to have any of those qualities. The book also presents the ways others act towards them as a result of their label, which is in a positive manner when it comes to winners and in a negative one when it comes to the losers. Finally, the author demonstrates the psychological effects that these actions have on those individuals and those around them.

There are a lot of things I found interesting in this book. Its message would be the best aspect, in my opinion, since the author goes to great length to emphasize the negative side effects that pressure for fame, success, and wealth have on individuals, thus successfully convincing readers of the issue's significance. He explicitly clears up the misunderstanding that only losers tend to experience negative effects by demonstrating that the winners tend to become narcissistic, vain, and arrogant due to society’s constant appraisal of them and the ‘losers’ tend to feel helpless, inferior, and worthless due to people capitalizing on their mistakes and pressuring them to achieve what the winners seem to have so easily achieved already.

Although important, the topic of societal labeling and pressure is an emotionally draining one due to the psychological effects on the losers being vividly portraited in comics throughout the book. However, the author adds a note of humor to many of emotionally heavy strips, which lessens the tension around them. He also tends to add well-known quotes that promote success and fame and leave sarcastic comments on them which emphasize the importance of self-fulfillment, thus sending a positive message out to readers while adding a light-hearted tone to the book.

The comics in the book were extremely detailed, perfectly capturing the progress of labeling and the effects of it. In fact, the raw emotion showed in them presents the concepts in a more abstract way that is relatable to the readers’ lives. Some examples are comics that portrayed unhealthy competition between brothers, the need for others to be inferior in order for one to feel accomplished, and the psychological effects of pressure on students. Finally, I love that the author included a chapter in the end that proposed methods of combatting the negative effects of societal pressure and labeling as opposed to only demonstrating them, and proposed that ‘losers’ lower their expectations, seek consolation, find humor in bad situations, and discover what ‘winning’ means for them.

On top of all the aforementioned likable aspects, there were no spelling or grammar mistakes throughout the whole book. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because I simply cannot find anything I dislike about it. In fact, I believe any reader from any background aged 14 and up would benefit greatly from its message and find its contents relatable and entertaining. People younger than 14 may not experience the same level of pressure and societal expectations that adolescents and adults do in their lives, thus they may find the book less relatable. However, I would not recommend this book to people who are offended by or dislike dark humor.

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Winners and Losers in words and cartoons
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[bookreviewmi1111]

I also rated this book 4 out of 4 stars. I appreciated the author's sense of humor. Thank you for the review!

[Laila Hashem]

I also rated this book 4 out of 4 stars. I appreciated the author's sense of humor. Thank you for the review!

I really hope he publishes more books or puts more on here. I love his sense of humor, too. Thanks for your comment!

[Guda Lydia]

I love how the author uses humor to illustrate the unnecessary standards we set for ourselves.