I Used to Be a Miserable F*ck: An Everyman’s Guide to a Meaningful Life

Therapist Kim (The Angry Therapist) shares his own experiences with failure and heartache in this entertaining and helpful memoir-cum-guide for living intended to help men in need of guidance on how to turn their lives around. After going through a difficult divorce, therapist Kim started a blog to voice his emotions and soon found his writing allowed him to work through what went wrong. His irreverent prose will be of particular help to closed-off or reluctant readers (“I’m coming with you, not at you. Talking to you like one of my friends—the men I sweat with, eat with, ride motorcycles with, get crepes with and share my fucking feelings with”), allowing them to loosen up and laugh at their shortcomings. Taking a comical but always pragmatic approach, Kim concentrates on what he considers the hardest areas for men to change: processing emotions, developing open communication, defining healthy relationships, and maintaining a healthy work/leisure balance. Kim advises that cultivating self-awareness (which takes hard work) coupled with three steps (accept what is, lean into it, and have the courage to change) will help readers through tough times. With chapters explaining such topics as the difference between (for boys) being nice and (for mature adults) being kind and how indecision can be a sign of immaturity, Kim’s blunt tone and easy-to-follow tips will appeal to any man looking for self-improvement. (Jan.)