
I must admit, as I was reading this book, I radically changed my mind about what I wanted to write in this review. I went though a veritable roller-coaster of emotions; I hated it, I liked it, I loved it. By the end, I could almost guarantee that anyone reading this book will have a strong opinion on it.
I know that this book finds it’s way into the ’self-help’ section of many bookstores, but I really hesitate to place it in that category, as it’s not a how-to; the book doesn’t explicitly state “do this and you will feel better”, but rather it presents the reader with a narration of the author’s life, after which it is up to the reader to decide what they want to take away from it.
Dan’s recount of his tales was really captivating. As I was reading it, I felt myself really associating with him and understanding the feelings he went through in his time with Socrates. At various points in the book, Millman recounts these short tales that almost read like fables. I would often stop and just try to extrapolate the morals behind these tales before going on to read what Millman had to say about them.
Probably one of the most impressive things about this book is its emphasis on the value of hard work. Millman doesn’t just experience a single event with Socrates: he embarks on a journey, a process that takes a great deal of time and effort to help transform him, to help him learn. At the beginning of the book, I had this great fear that the book would present Socrates as this ’silver bullet’, this one magical fix for Dan’s life, and so I was really pleased to see that that wasn’t the case.
Although I truly appreciate the message that Millman was trying to get across with his book, I have to admit that there were some things about it that put me off. First off, Millman’s ‘embellishments’ in his story-telling were too much to take at times. While they may spice up the plot, I think it clouds some of the points the book is trying to get across. Reality is reality, fantasy is fantasy, and with a subject like this, getting the two confused can be dangerous.
Another sticking point with me were some of the values that Socrates deemed unimportant and those he deemed invaluable. The care-free attitude that he and his friend Joseph embodied may work for them, but it forgets the responsibility that many people in this world have. A key example of this is parents: if their children make them unhappy, they can’t just up and leave them. If they don’t like their job, they can’t just quit it if they don’t have another one.
At one point in the book, Socrates made a comment criticizing moderation, saying that it was only something for the bland, apologetic, and fence-sitters of the world. I feel Socrates is making a mistake here by confusing moderation with indecision. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong or harmful with being patient and making good, calculated decisions instead of foolish, impulsive ones.
I do honestly believe this is a good work by Millman, and one that just about everyone reading it can get something out of. However, I would encourage people to take it with a grain of salt, and to really decide for themselves whether or not what they got out of the book applies to their own life.