For starters, Nathaniel Branden is awesome. His writing rings with benevolence and life. Rarely preachy and always written with a razor's edge of precision. His words are so carefully chosen and consistently used with such exactitude that he almost sounds like he's talking off the cuff. Do not make this mistake! His writing is not accidental.

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. My initial reaction was, "But I have great self-esteem! I love my life!" But he is an extremely reliable person, so I went and bought it anyway.

This book is not what you might think. There is no recommendation in this book to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that everyone loves you and you're worth it.

You might find this book in the self-help section of your book store and that's appropriate. What is inappropriate are all the other books around it written by quacks for schmucks and filled with recommendations like the example given above and parodied on SNL.

This book tells you what self-esteem really is, how it works, what it means to have it, and how to build it.

I recommend this book for those people who are already independent thinkers, individuals, and generally just strong-willed and intelligent because I know it will not go wasted.

If you are a sniveling, small-minded individual driving your life over the cliff of destruction, you can read this book if you want (because I can't stop you), but if you don't like it or don't listen I want you to go to your window right now and just jump. I only ask that you not try to hit my car.

"What?" you ask astounded.

Well, perhaps my advice above isn't the best, but I get very upset when unworthy people smear themselves across a work of virtue. It's an injustice!

The honest truth is that this book can help anyone who is willing to listen and take an active role in their well-being. The advice offered is entirely dependent upon you, the individual, stepping up and taking responsibility for yourself and for building your life up into what you'd like it to be.

Branden almost sings out of the book to you. It's radiant and joyful in parts without ever departing from sincerity. It's completely rational and not at all "hokey." I can only imagine Mr. Branden to be a person of vitality, youth, and benevolent spirit no matter what his age.

And for those of you who like to poo-poo the philosophy of Ayn Rand, I think you should stay away from this book. Branden isn't part of any "cult" but he supports an outlook of rational objective realism. His advice will not allow you to ignore reason nor reality nor will it permit you to be anything less than an individual with the mind of an individual.

My only critique is with the page layout. In my copy there are quotes from the text, bolded and enlarged, placed in the middle of the page between paragraphs like a magazine article. It's distracting and detracts from the feeling of credibility granted by the words. But it IS the words that are most important.


Branden has worked hard in the field of psychology and earned the right to be called the "Father of Self-Esteem."

Enjoy!



Recommended: Yes