Just another example of why you can’t trust anything The New York Times has to say…
Last week, I started reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Since then, I made it through 89 torturous pages before finally deciding to throw in the towel.
I Can’t Remember The Last Time I Hated a Book This Much…
Since I couldn’t bring myself to finish this book, I won’t be assigning a star rating to it. Instead, I’d just like to take a moment to say that this book is awful, plain and simple.
Tinged with subtle digs towards capitalism and a thinly-veiled distaste for Americans, this book had me regularly asking myself why I was reading it in the first place.
Not only does the author take FOREVER to discuss the subject matter (y’know, the “state of flow,” AKA the alleged main premise behind this text), but for at least the first 37% of the book, he fails to share any new information beyond what was discussed in the first chapter: that is, in order to experience “flow,” one must engage in an activity fit for his unique interests and skillset, towards which 100% of attention can be directed for an extended period of time.
That’s it. That’s the big secret behind getting into flow, and anyone who’s already experienced this phenomenon probably already knew that (I know I did).
I would say I want my money back for this book, but my copy is borrowed. Even so, I feel like I’ve been cheated of the time I spent reading Csikszentmihalyi’s ramblings; I can’t get that back.
At least I can turn my (poor) experience into something productive by sharing this post to help you. Save your time and money; leave this book where you found it.
