I’m taking a break from the Vegas Knockout to get back to why I started this blog in the first place: book promotion!
Two years ago my friend, Brent Dutcher sent me a self-help book that he thought would be of interest to me. To which I replied, “That is stupid. I can write you a better one.” And that’s exactly what I did.
The result is a satirical self-help/memoir entitled Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine written to inspire Mr. Dutcher to get out of the cubicle and start living life on his own terms. Since the book was published I have received great reviews and pretty good ones. Still, many of my friends and even family have, for one reason or another, refused to purchase a copy.
Today, I received a review from a friend of mine that I was a little worried to read. He’s a straight shooter, a no nonsense type of guy that doesn’t hesitate to tell me exactly how things are, despite my thinking to the contrary. Bracing myself for the worst, I started reading his critique.
I was delighted to read, even with a couple of facetious shots at my expense, how much he enjoyed the book.
Please find his review below:
5 years ago, in a back corner of a counterfeit mall, is where I first met one of the most distinguishable acquaintances i have — negotiating for a pair of tennis shoes by increasing his own price and confusing the Shanghainese sneaker slinger to the point of annoyance and getting kicked out of the store.
After introducing myself to the brazen american, we quickly discovered that we were both Wolverines, who graduated in 2004. Not only that — but he happened to be on a study abroad while getting his MBA at Thunderbird School of Global Management. What were the odds that I’d meet someone in a random Shanghai bazaar, who shared both my home state, undergraduate and graduate universities? Well, the bro-mance would continue in infamy. Though my new buddy had questionable morals, character, and wasn’t really someone I ever expected to “Respect” in any way — he recently had his book “Everyone’s advice is wrong… including mine” published.
So, I gave it a read; you know — because he’s my buddy. Not being much of a reader, I didn’t even really expect to get all the way through it. So, you can imagine my surprise when I read the first 8 chapters in one sitting. His substantially self-depricating semi-autobiography about evading the corporate grind, and appreciating what life has to offer is genuinely entertaining. I would strongly encourage everyone to get a copy of the book and use it to get a few laughs… and maybe even to help affirm aspirations of taking a new path in life. For Michiganders, wolverines, and anyone stuck in a Lumbergh-style work-environment… the book is straight up killer.
Well done Alex; you’re still strange as hell, and perhaps the most interesting man in the world, in making… and I rather enjoyed the fruits of your exploits.
So please go out [to Amazon], purchase a copy and if you do not like it, please write a terrible review of it. For doing so, I will refund you the whopping $5 I make per copy. After all, my goal in writing isn’t to make money, it’s to get my message out: reject the teachings of cubicle-ism, be faithful to yourself.
Thus the title Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . Including Mine. (emphasis added)
Yours truly,
The Strange Dude
