cover image How to Ruin Your Life

How to Ruin Your Life

Ben Stein. Hay House, $12.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-56170-974-8

Keeping a Chin Up Offering a tongue-in-cheek approach to living well, quiz show host and former White House speechwriter Ben Stein has written How to Ruin Your Life. Asserting that ""failure is often a virtual road map to success in reverse,"" Stein tells readers, ""[f]ollow these rules and you're guaranteed disaster. Avoid them, and you're on the high road to achievement...."" He proceeds to explain how to ""make yourself useless,"" ""be a slob,"" ""convince yourself you're all that matters"" and ""act like the world owes you."" If ignored, his advice is sound and realistic, and may be the perfect way to push recent grads or other impressionable readers in the right direction. (Oct.)