How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life

by Eric G. Wilson

A guidebook for beating the monotony of the everyday by purposefully cultivating the surprising joys that come from living an off-kilter life

It's all too easy to get caught up in the often monotonous nature of our day to day—moving from one rote task to the next, only to rinse and repeat the next day. Weirdness, however, is an easily accessible antidote to these feelings of languishing. The quirky, eccentric, and peculiar can take us out of our normal habits of thought and perception, surprising us by breaking up our routines and reminding us that there's more to life than the everyday.

In How to Be Weird, Eric G. Wilson offers 99 fun and philosophically rich exercises for embracing all the weird in the world around us—taking aimless walks, creating a reverie nook, exploring the underside of bridges, making tombstone rubbings, finding your own Narnia, and more.

With brief digestible entries on how to make sense of the random, guidelines on how to defamiliarize familiar objects through meditation, and exercises for locating weird states and phenomena for ourselves, How to Be Weird is an invitation to lean into the weird and to live a fuller life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Art, Audiobook, Mental Health

Audible Audio

Published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a bunch of things you could do that are maybe kind of weird. Not quite what I expected from the title… it also starts by saying everyone is weird which makes no sense to me. Sure everyone does weird things here or there but the meaning of weird precludes it from applying to everyone.

I don’t mean to be a gatekeeper for being weird, but being interesting or creative isn’t the same as being weird.

At one point the author uses Samuel L Jackson as an example of a weird actor. What??? He’s cool, but that’s the most vanilla choice I could think of for an actor. In general selecting pop culture examples of weirdness is a lost cause. I think you can only do it historically, things that were weird but we now think are cool.

A better title would be something like “how a completely vanilla person can do something out of the ordinary once in awhile”.

What I wanted from this title would be something about how to avoid the trap of falling into social norms for the sake of sticking with social norms. There’s lots of things in life that we avoid because they are “weird” even though they could be beneficial.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a self-help book nor do I intend to do so. But, in an odd way, that is exactly what this is, although I see it more as a guide to perceptions…….perceptions of self, the world around us,and other people.

The author offers 99 situations that often arise in our day -to-day life such as the reoccurrence the same number multiple times in one day, seeing someone who looks just like you, earworms, the limbo between sleep and wakefulness, etc. He then provides guides to become hyper-alert to the oscillations that only you can sense. I was very surprised that I actually do some of these things. For example: when walking through the woods/fields and picking up an unusual stone, a lovely bird feather, or an oddly shaped twig, and taking it home and putting it in a basket or translucent bowl. It then becomes a reminder of the beauty of nature and personal experiences.

Some of the situations are humorous, others are a bit silly but overall still enjoyable. This book has gotten mixed reviews and that is understandable. It is not for everyone in this busy world but it appealed to me and added to my understanding of “looking a little deeper” at everyday things. I found it interesting and well written and would recommend it. Plus it is a bit of fun!!

[Grace Ellen Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a certified Weird Girl™️, this book did not help me become any more weird

[Susie Stangland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember when people would say- Ya Weirdo- as if it was an insult? Now we know, it’s a compliment! The question is how? This book shows us just that and the ideas are a lot more fun than what’s needed to be cool such as flipping your collar up. And don’t misjudge this book, it can definitely fall in the self help section with life lessons - rearranging your childhood bedroom, Get a Zero,
This also brought back memories such as a kid, I did conceive a swear word, what inanimate object would I be? Moss!
Honestly I LOVED this book and in this day and age of everyone trying for Instagram perfection feel it is needed by all! Great holiday gift idea and also corporations- if you want inspired employees- buy them this book!

[Dawson Bley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m weird enough already, thanks

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

So weird. But also oddly uplifting.

[Naomi ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was just fun things to think about/prompts in between the author telling you to be yourself and to be unashamed of being 'different'

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this a couple of times, for a couple of reasons:

1. I got so inspired that I had to run off and try a thing or two. (Or ten.) and,

2. After getting inspired that many times, I had to put the book, which I'd checked out of my library, down so that I could go buy my own physical copy.

Considering that I have a very small house and can keep only a very few books without it starting to look like an unaired episode of _Hoarders_ in here, that's saying something.

I think some people might be confused by the "weird" in the title. This isn't some "how to live outrageously" kind of outwardly performative how-to tome. You probably won't take up glitter as a food group or go out wearing painted-on pants or anything. It's not that kind of weird.

If "weird" was swapped with "oddly self-aware creativity", not only would the book cover be a lot more cluttered, but it might change reader expectations to something closer to what you'll find inside. There are all these seemingly unrelated (or, y'know, weird) things to do, and once you've done them, you find out there was a tiny nugget of wisdom in there that you just sussed out for yourself completely unknown to your rational mind. Which is the best way for self-improvement, IMHO.

I have a feeling the next few months are going to be interesting around here, once my copy arrives. :)

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

These types of books are always fun; it feels almost like an activity book for adults (which I love and am always looking for). I wrote down a couple of prompts for later reference after I return the book to the library.

It’s a 3 and not a 5 star for me though for the following reasons:
1) a lot of the “weird” stuff was just things people do in their religion, and as someone who practices a religion, it felt rude and extremely Western to use them as “exercises” of “weird”.
2) the language felt very felt self-important and “qUiRkY” in a way that wasn’t genuine
3) too many self-help, “discovering yourself” prompts. Being weird doesn’t mean you’re drowning in introspective thinking all the time.
4) finally, weird is not really a series of prompts or exercises, it’s a way of being. Perhaps these can help in the practice, but in the end it’s how someone *is* not necessarily just what they *do*

[Tc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure whether to say it was a bit too weird or not weird enough! It certainly made you think outside the square and help be more cognisant of life around us and of ourselves. However some of the suggestions (and it is aimed at adults but most are family relevant activities) really could put a spanner in the works if you were to try them at work as suggested, depending on your industry. I did, however, make some notes, some to do with the tidbits of information, and some of the activities to try.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of cool ideas to reconnect and tap into what brings you inner joy and peace. some things really resonated with me; holding meaningful objects in your hand and envisioning yourself as the object looking at yourself. Collecting interesting objects, going on walks and making up poetry or new swear words...

[Alazne ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOODREADS AGHHH

I loved this book, it made me feel confident again in my unique traits compared to the shame related in having odd hobbies or a individuality to be honest. Especially to society's expectation on women to act orderly and undefinable, only when placed between a man.

[mckenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Am I different now? Having been something else?”

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Wilson provides us with 100 ways to be wierd. I was inspired to learn to print with my left hand- making progress. Next I'm coloring my hair blue. Who knows what else? Give it a try.

[Suzanna Sim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Too many lists, nothing new. Fun ideas for prompts though. Honestly not that weird imo. (2-2.5)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with creative exercises (art, writing, imagining) to shake things up and see them from a different perspective.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Penguin Books for an advanced copy of this self-help book on embracing your inner weird, and living outside of the the group.

Life is weird and not in a cool good way. No one seems happy or satisfied, nothing seems right and nobody it seems is doing what they really want to do. All those dreams we had as children, all the great things, the amazing things that we would do, and see and even more important the people we were going to be, all fade away in the way of conformity, being normal, not sticking out, being blah being an adult. Where, to quote a term from this book, is our sense of Yūgen. Maybe it is that striving to be normal, to be the nail that does not stick up, the house that has all its garbage cans centered, our grass cut to length our neighbors have decided it should be, that has made us so annoying to be around, especially to ourselves. Eric G. Wilson in How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life wants up to return to that way of living, when curiosity didn't kill a cat, it made the cat thrive, and our outer life might have made people talk, but somehow it seemed a lot more fun.

Being weird used to be an insult. You aren't boring like the rest of us, was basically what the people were saying. Your being free of spirit reminds me that I am not doing what I want to be. Really was a person's dream as a child to work 9 hours a day in a cubicle. However today if that was offered, with insurance people would hope at it. Weird according to Wilson, is doing something that never would occur to adults, and thereby doing something that might loosen that plug holding back not only creativity, but being someone that you want to know. Go to the seaside, or any water, as the sounds, smells and watching the waves has been shown to help relax and inspire many an artist. Take public transportation somewhere that you have never been to, and walk home from there, just to see new scenery, and remind yourself, what the area you life in is like. Plant flowers in a vacant field. Start smelling new things. Just do something.

The book seems to jump around, but that is good in that again a person does not get complacent. Never knowing what the next chapter might bring, the reader might pay more attention to what is written. Looking at what I have written I might have to clear up something. This is not a book about anarchy, this isn't the Joker's guide to destroying Gotham City. This is a book about shaking up the normal, and trying to get back to when the world was fresh and new to us. The writing is good, sometimes it can be a little, ugh, but you have to respect a guy who wants people to doddle for mental health. There are a lot of good points in here, and actually it is one of the better self-help books I've read recently. And I have read a lot.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first saw the title of this book, "How to be Weird," I felt intrigued. There are times where I've described myself as weird, and I though this might be a book about embracing the weirdness. And...it kind of is? But not really, because it's also an activity book, which I did not realize - I suppose that's what I get for judging the book by its title alone and not actually reading the summary. Okay, so, I'm not a fan of activity books, but maybe I'll enjoy the content. Honestly? I didn't really. Some of the activities author Eric G. Wilson talks about are interesting - he mentions one where you pick lines from random books in the library and write a story using all three of them, which is something that actually sounds really fun to me. But for the most part, these activities are just...well, weird! Yet some of them aren't weird at all. The aforementioned picking lines from random books to write a story isn't something I consider weird, for example. But then there are chapters like, "Save a Nihilist," or multiple chapters where he suggests smelling objects, ranging from used books to Play-Dough. There's even one where he encourages you to stand at the edge of something (including a cliff) for 10 minutes and describe what you felt - but he also tells you not to fall off of it.

The book is also surprisingly philosophical in parts (we learn at one point that the author is a college professor, so I'm assuming he may specialize in philosophy), but the issue is that I don't really understand the subject. I respect it, yes, but that doesn't mean I want to read about it. There are also parts that are really highbrow, and while I consider myself to be an intelligent person, this book was a bit too highbrow for me at many different points.

I can see people enjoying "How to be Weird," but I knew from the introduction and first two chapters that this was not going to be one I enjoyed, which I think is why I powered through it in just a couple days. Would I recommend this one? If you enjoy books that are a bit highbrow and philosophical, or you want to do some unique activities, go for it, but otherwise, I don't think I would recommend this one.

[Sheelie Kittee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful ideas for expanding on creativity and thinking outside of the box.

ANd how incredible is this passage:

The Sky Shivers
In puddles created of night rain. ( ! )

The overview effect: the feeling of awe upon realizing how small we, how small the Earth is, in the scheme of things, So true.

I liked reading about Yugen: the feeling of mysterious profundity.

I love that moment in writing when I know language falls short. There is something more there.

The stars we are given. The constellations we make.
That is to say, the stars exist in the cosmos, but
constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between
Them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.

Pareidolia: the perception of meaningful images in random aggregations.

I love aphorisms!

We all owe death a life. ( Salman Rushdie! )

Taphophilia exists: this word to convey a love of graveyards.

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another, unevenly. We grow partially.
We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future, mingie and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, and constellations.
Anais Nin

anthimeria: turn nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, I always wondered what was the word for this!

I also love portmanteaus: like, glare and gaze = glaze.

Attaching prefixes and suffixes and neologisms such as, lonely and elbow.

It will definitely be a fun read for sure =)

[A Grasso · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to be Weird is a dense guide that intends to encourage readers become more creative and introspective, presumably aimed at incredibly boring people.

I think there are some okay “exercises” in this book, particularly the ones that encourage seeking out new information or just getting outside. It feels like the writer is a school-kid who had about 50 words of actual substance, but had to write a 200-word response to something; there’s a lot of meaningless “fluff” in this book. Some of the “exercises” in this book are one-paragraph instructional blurbs that seem utterly pointless to me.

Additionally, the tone in this book just seems off to me. It reads like a Buzzfeed article.

If you have absolutely no excitement in your life and don’t know how to think for yourself this is the book for you! Otherwise, you *might* get ten things of actual substance from this book.

All this to say: this book isn’t very weird at all.

[Ken The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an admitted weakness for any book that provides a roadmap towards activates and habits that encourage new ways of thinking, living and being. This is the latest in a long line of titles that have caught my attention. My most pleasant surprise are the side lessons diving into so many other topics, provided as background to each of the 99 ways to be more weird. These detours into science, pop culture, psychology, history, physics, chemistry, et al were a most pleasant surprise (for example, learning about Masahiro Mori's Uncanny Valley). As a cherry on top of this sundae, author Eric Wilson also provides a detailed reference sections which provides more background as well as the portals of information where readers can learn more. From a practical sense, this book is best for anyone with substantial free time to pursue some of their favorites. Enjoy!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really fun! I would say it’s more of a guideline on how to think creatively, expand your perception (internal and external) and to just get out of your daily habits, routines, and thought patterns. While some of the exercises may seem weird, what they’re really calling us to do is to slow down, shake off some of our fears around being perceived as odd, and to look for the other, the strange, the different, the new, the weird! I definitely will be doing some of these regularly and would consider gifting it to friends who want to get some ideas on how to spice things up in their thought patterns. Some of the exercises I could take or leave, but the ones I’ve done have really been fun and inspired whimsy and weirdness.

I’ve also been writing with my left hand every day and that’s been weird and silly and fun.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I saw a professional review for this and thought it sounded interesting. I usually make a list of those books and then check GR reviews as well — and they said this book was a list of activities, and well, weird, so I thought I knew what I was getting into.

When I started it, I realized that it was much weirder than I had anticipated, to the point that I started reading out one activity to my family every day for giggles. We didn’t do most of the activities (dude, I need no help collecting things and putting them on shelves), but we did end up doing a lot of thought-based activities, since why not. So set your meter to weirder than you think, and give this one a go.

[Harley Claes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this one. The title was off-putting and cringey at first when I picked it up, but upon peering inside I was rather intrigued. The titles are enticing to say the least, and the inscribed references inside and the fun prompts are rather inspiring. If nothing else, I am imbued with new knowledge from the texts along with quotes to remember. I have practiced some of the prompts, and although a good number of them are absurd and undesirable, there are VERY many gems that will have you seeing life through a new lens.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libby: Audible

Target audience appears to be high schoolers, college students, midlife crisis, and too much time on your hands. Not very practical for parents of young children. I’m not going to dig through my couch and contemplate the story of a gum wrapper - not enough time for that silliness. Some prompts were not written for a person with a scientific background, more of a “make up a story” type.

[Miguel Hincapie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book on a trip to Melbourne because it was on sale (of course), and I finished another book during the flight. What can I say? It’s clearly a bunch of ideas on how to be weird, but some ideas will give me a lot of cringe and a lot of “please get a life back." The book started with good analysis and ideas about why most human beings have that weird side, but from the middle of the book until the end, it doesn’t make sense to me. Perfect to pack it and send it to Salvos asap 😂

[Cindy Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun - out of the box book. Makes you think of how doing some things out of the box - different then your regular actions - can help to refresh your thinking. Not all hit a mark but some can be inspirational. Best to just grasp the inspiration - you can change things to fit you - but it can serve to inspire.

[Kelly Grega · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful guidebook that taps into history, religion, art, philosophy, and modern practices to live with more curiosity for the world and oneself. As referenced in Ch.2, the Zen concept of "Yugen" is where there is always a beyond, and beyond that, another beyond, and another, and so on. Let your mind play with the possibilities of profundity to unlock the 'weird' that makes you, You.

[Janeen Pizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure why this one received such low ratings as I have found it to be just a delightful collection of activities to get your creative mind moving. I borrowed this one and will be purchasing myself a copy so I can reference it often. If you're in a rut mentally and want to find some inspiration, this one might do the trick!

[J.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book to give you many ideas. Some seem really cool and I’d like to try them. However I won’t be making my own ink, paint or votive. Biggest takeaway: a lot of the ideas involve stopping or slowing down, which we could all use. Overall if you’re a journaler or like books of oddities this will appeal!