Started: April 10
Finished: May 19
Notes: I've been reading biographies of late and wanted to continue that, but I couldn't find a proper biography in print for Peterson, so I'll settle for reading one of his books. I realize Peterson has become somewhat controversial in some circles over the last decade or so, but like him or not, the man is interesting and appears to weigh his words carefully. I do find him interesting, and I agree with some he has to say, but I also believe he has some blind spots. Who knows? If I enjoy this book enough, I might seek out some of his other books.
Mini review: It took much longer to finish this book than I had anticipated, mainly because I found this one such a slog, proving for myself that Peterson is a better speaker than writer. It's not that his text is necessarily written badly nor difficult to read, but that he writes much like he speaks, with plenty of examples and long comments about the very points he is trying to make. For me, once I got what he was trying to say, which was usually within the first page or even paragraph of his chapters, then it seemed he dragged on forever saying the same things over and over again. In other words, this felt like the world's longest blog post, once that could've been written in a thousand words or less. That being said, there is a lot of solid, good, common-sense advice here for living in and surviving in the modern world. Not everyone will agree with what Peterson suggests, of course, but I don't believe that lessens his words. For me, Peterson's writing here was at its strongest when he strayed away from politics and pithy sayings and focused upon the mythologies behind religion and sometimes upon his clinical background. In the end, whether he wants to admit it or not, he definitely comes down on the side of Christianity, not necessarily in belief but in practice. The world could do worse.
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