Jordan B. Peterson

It's hard to coherently summarize my thoughts about this book, because I was left with so many emotions after reading it. The rules go over many subjects that we might deem as common sense, but are essential reminders for those hard times where we are most likely to forget them, or forget to hold fast to them. JP does tend to make a lot of allusions to the Bible, especially in the first half of the book -- it's evident he's studied it quite a bit, and soundly applies it to the struggles of humanity, but as a non-religious person I found the stories distracting at times. Because of the lack of variety of source material, I very nearly gave up by Chapter 6 or so. I'm glad I didn't.

As a rule, I look for real-world examples when it comes to nonfiction / self-help books, and even though there weren't as many in the first few chapters, the second half more than made up for it. Peterson's expertise in psychology and the other social sciences really shone through -- from his razor-sharp analysis of our social/political origins, to how best to navigate the great burdens of life in the healthiest psychological way. As anecdotal evidence, the struggles he and his family experienced, particularly with their daughter's serious and prolonged illness, were heartbreaking to read. But at the same time, I gained so much respect for their strength and resilience - qualities we don't see enough of today. That reaffirmed all the things he was trying to get across in this book, and by the end I realized the answers were all there in front of me. All I had to do was take the first step, a little wiser and more humble than before.… (more)