The Curmudgeon's Guide To Getting Ahead: Dos And Don'ts Of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, And Living A Good Life (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I am always conflicted about 3 stars. This is a fun little book to read. I will probably give it to my 16yos to read. Some of his points I loved and agreed with, some were helpful for my own growth and some rankled which is not really a problem as it just gave me more food for thought. In fact, because of this book, I decided to make sure that 'rankled' meant what I thought it meant. The first section is for the workplace,another section was about the skill of the writer, and another on general life happiness. I particularly paid attention to the writer's section as I am in the process of refining a speech. I found my own process very similar to Murray's.A solid little book. The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don’ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life is a wonderful primer on how to transition from college life to the adult world of work and responsibility. A quick read, the book started out as a series of tips for interns and new hires on the American Enterprise Institute intranet. Lucky for us, author Charles’s Murray’s wisdom didn’t stay there.From the intro:"Technically, a curmudgeon is an ill-tempered old man. I use the term more broadly to describe highly successful people of both genders who are inwardly grumpy about many aspects of contemporary culture, make quick and pitiless judgments about your behavior in the workplace, and don’t hesitate to act on those judgments in deciding who gets promoted and who gets fired."My wife calls me a curmudgeon all the time, so of course I ripped through the pages like this book was written specifically for me. I wasn’t disappointed. When you live in California long enough, you forget that there are still people — very successful people — who live by a code that isn’t totally self-indulgent. Murray did young people everywhere a service by putting that code down on paper. (Or tablet, in my case.)In addition to practical advice about writing and thinking and career, Murray offers slices of wisdom about living well. This was one of my favorite selections:"A life well-lived has transcendent value, whether that transcendence is defined in religious or secular terms. Putting aside specific doctrinal differences, a core aspect of the Western view of transcendence, whether Judeo-Christian or Aristotelian, is that there are excellences associated with the state of being human."That’s what this book is really about — striving for excellence instead of settling for mediocrity.The author assumes a readership in its teens and 20s, but I recommend it to all ages.
What do You think about The Curmudgeon's Guide To Getting Ahead: Dos And Don'ts Of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, And Living A Good Life (2014)?
A very helpful and easy to read book about the virtuous life, from writing to marriage.
—EloraM23
This book should be given to and read by each and every graduating college student.
—mknj
A good, quick read. I wish I had read this 15 years ago when I graduated college.
—Paperclip
Liked most of what he had to say, but some advice was out of date.
—paulad
A very wise book. I wish I'd had it in my early twenties.
—chicaorlando
