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Crap

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Crap teaches which types of crap are useful (and which aren't), how to avoid crap when possible, deal with it when it can’t be avoided, and flush it out of one’s life. Readers will learn how to break the crap cycle once and for all. Complete with:

Quotes from noted crap-coping experts such as Homer Simpson and Kurt Vonnegut

Little-known biological and scientific facts about—you guessed it—actual crap

95 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

10 people are currently reading
136 people want to read

About the author

Erin Elisabeth Conley

8 books1 follower

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5 stars
70 (26%)
4 stars
77 (28%)
3 stars
85 (31%)
2 stars
28 (10%)
1 star
8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Leticia Dos Santos.
36 reviews
September 29, 2021
A fun book which feels like a breath of fresh air. Sometimes we all need to listen to how much crap we put up with, how much of it we give, and how to get rid of it! I’m glad I had a chance to read something that made me laugh and still taught me many wise things. Although, the best part of it all was the fact that it was a gift from someone who means a lot to me, and who knows I have to learn how to stop putting up with such crap!
Profile Image for Kriti.
177 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2021
I picked this up when I was in the checkout line at Barnes & Noble for absolutely no reason at all. This book is kind of like a self help book, but more entertaining. I’m still surprised that it actually gave me some good advice.
1,250 reviews15 followers
August 7, 2018
A little book full of good advice to get rid of, well, crap in your life. Hubby was chuckling all the way through. We could all use more positivity and less junk in our lives. Worth the read.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
74 reviews4 followers
August 18, 2014
Crap: How to deal with annoying teachers, bosses, backstabbers, and other stuff that stinks is a simplistic semi-self-help book aimed at teenagers who need assistance in coping with negative aspects of their lives. This short, easy-to-read guide offers teens methods on how to deal with the emotional weight of undesirable people and situations. It lists and briefly describes where four types of undesirable features come from, those being: from management, peers, yourself, and the universe. It also provides possible reasons for why people cause strife, how to avoid problems like these in the future, how to handle problems like these now, and how to dispose of them permanently. For the most part the book contains ‘common knowledge’ though might not seem so common to suffering teenagers. The layout of the paperback is very simplistic, with a table of contents and a definition of ‘crap’ at the beginning. Unfortunately, it does not have an index, though being only 96 pages long an index does seem unnecessary. It also does not have a bibliography or source notes of any kind, which would have been helpful in backing up quotes and facts, particularly where one ‘fact’ consisted of multiple percentages that added up to much more than one hundred.
This informational book has an obvious theme with its plain brown cover and internal text all in the same shade of brown. The title Crap is also a dead giveaway for the theme, which utilizes the less offensive teenage slang for excrement. Even the page numbers were enclosed in mini-piles of poo. Numerous puns, historical trivialities, and scientific facts about excrement were sprinkled throughout as well. There are also quotes from cartoon characters and real people on ‘crap’ and how to get rid of it. In addition there are also quotes giving general advice for handling issues and regarding related topics such as blame, learning, and laughter. The correlation between literal excrement and figurative ‘crap’ engages the audience, while providing positive messages and helpful solutions to typical teen problems. The novel also inspires thoughtfulness in the audience by portraying differing points of view, such as those expressed by parents. Overall, this is a humorous, albeit cheesy, paperback that is quick to the point with useful information.
Profile Image for Michael Kepler.
18 reviews
January 20, 2015
I found that the scenarios in the book can be useful for many situations. It is a well thought out book with interesting facts added in. I like how they quote a variety of people ranging from ancient philosophers to modern day actors.

The book was written to help people who have a lot of negative situations thrown at them. There are examples on how to identify and deal with these problems. It also has methods to avoiding unnecessary problems with ones life.

Danny Devito is quoted from his role in The War of the Roses “There are two dilemmas that rattle the human skull: How do you hang on to someone who won’t stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won’t go?”The book also quotes american author Kurt Vonnegut “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” There is also a quote from the english author D.H. Lawrence “ I like to write when I feel spiteful; it’s like having a good sneeze.”

The word choice used in the book is a modern style. The reason I believe that it is a modern style writing is that the word crap is used a lot. The pages of the book are decorated with pipes representing the plumbing from a bathroom.

The theme for the book is to never let anything get you down. This theme is emphasized throughout the book. One example would be to never dwell on a mistake.

I would suggest this book to everyone. Reason being that everyone has crap to deal with and can sometimes use a little help.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
12 reviews
April 14, 2013
Elizabeth Jose
Conley, E. E., Macklin, K., & Miller, J. (2009). Crap: How to Deal With Annoying Teachers, Bosses, Backstabbers, and Other Stuff That Stinks. San Francisco: Zest Books.
Genre: Informational
Format: Print
Selection Process: Voice of Youth Advocates

“Crap: How to Deal With Annoying Teachers, Bosses, Backstabbers, and Other Stuff That Stinks” is a hilarious informational booklet that details the subject in question, in its many forms. It defines it, explains it, gives examples of how to deal with, avoid, and get rid of it.

The book begins by defining crap as something that comes from various sources including management (parents, teachers, bosses, etc.), peers, the individual, and the universe. The authors literally define crap in its form as excrement, and what it is constituted of (yes, really!), then detail why people “dump” on others (which includes humorous responses that the guilty party’s favorite contestant was eliminated from the show “American Idol”). They also give solutions on how to get rid of crap, whether it came from the universe, or created as a result of one’s own actions.

Although short, this book functions as a funny conversational coffee table book that will entertain those who have a sense of humor, especially young adults, who primarily read things like this for a good laugh, or to learn new things.

Recommended.
Profile Image for Don Savant.
Author 39 books5 followers
April 13, 2015
This book was a much needed read for me. I love that it was short and sweet, making it a really quick read. There are a lot of great nuggets there that one can carry with them to remember and use when crappy situations arise. I recommend this book to anyone that has a difficult time maintaining themselves through the crap that every day life throws at us. I will definitely read this one over and over again when needed.

- Don Savant
Profile Image for John J Questore.
Author 2 books33 followers
June 22, 2015
Very, very quick read.

It's your typical "crap" (pun intended) on dealing with the crap that life throws your way. You know, deal with it with a smile, do good things and less crap will come your way, and take ownership of the crap in your life.

While the book doesn't say anything different from all the other "self-help" books, it does so a with a little humor.
Profile Image for Dr. Raye of Sunshine.
309 reviews4 followers
April 15, 2015
I picked this up in the "teen" section at B&N while on an outing with with my 13 year old. This short little book is absolutely hysterical, honest, true and witty. It's a great read for anyone (teen or adult) who needs reminders on how to deal with the inevitable crap in life.
Profile Image for Bri.
46 reviews
August 29, 2015
I absolutely loved it! The book was extremely helpful and also very funny
Profile Image for Dianna Heikkila.
22 reviews4 followers
November 17, 2015
We all deal with Crap no matter what age. I enjoyed this witty book that was fun to read. I would love to say it was a piece of crap...but I would be lying.
Profile Image for Robin Ramone.
38 reviews1 follower
November 4, 2016
Quick read. The last page meant the most to me. It's a good book for teens. I picked it up in the adult section at Barnes and Noble. I thought there would be more to it for an adult.
Profile Image for MaryAlice.
756 reviews8 followers
October 29, 2021
My son-in-law insisted I read Crap: How to deal with annoying teachers, bosss, backstabbers and other stuff that stinks, rather than taking it to Goodwill with another pile of books someone gave him.

The word is not part of my normal vocabulary, but it is best used to describe this book: it is crap.

The self-help aspect has all been said previously; basically when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It sounds like a book for teenagers written by teenagers. I imagine the authors giggling or laughing out loud as they wrote it. There attempt at humour missed the mark.

I did not know if I should shelve Crap as Humor or Self-help; perhaps I need another shelf labeled: Something Else?
Profile Image for nanda.
47 reviews
May 17, 2021
This book is actually very helpful and funny. Reading it during class I received a good amount of weird stares by just the cover “crap”. I think I learned a lot and recently I have found myself in tough situations where I have been in pointless crap. I now know how to avoid that. This books humor was perfect and it made me laugh and relate a lot more. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking advice on how to handle crap well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
406 reviews9 followers
January 3, 2020
A short, funny, non fiction, self help book that teaches you to get over yourself and just deal with life. I hate self help books, but because I wanted to "diversify my reading" I picked this one up. It was short, sweet, and got straight to the point.
Profile Image for Pedro Angelico.
62 reviews22 followers
January 19, 2020
Fun little book... I borrowed it from a friend after she had to go to her son’s school because the teacher took the book from him because it was “offensive” ... perfect example of dealing with stupid crap LOL

Simple thoughts and tips about dealing with things in life and making the best of it.
2 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2021
i thought it was a good book and i really was a funny book to read it was a good book and i would recomend having other people read it if they are ever dealing with crap it show people how to take that crap and not let it phase you.
2 reviews
January 26, 2022
Loved this book! If you currently are surrounded by people you know are CRAP this book will help you figure out the crap, stop making your own and learn to laugh about the things you can’t change lots of quotes and jokes and will help you through life.
1,312 reviews
October 27, 2023
I thought this book might just be a humorous one, but it actually had some good self-help advice. It talks about ways to deal with others' crap and your own. There were also funny little random facts throughout it.
Profile Image for Brad Carl.
Author 16 books194 followers
October 9, 2019
Cute book. Maybe slightly more skewed towards young adults, but certainly anyone can get some good tidbits out of this. Plus, I learned some interesting facts about poop.
Profile Image for Maria Smallwood.
115 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2020
A quick read. A lot of people could benefit from reading. But it could have went into more information.
Profile Image for Sarah Monheim.
14 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2021
This is a quick read for the time when you're feeling like crap and want to flush the bad vibes out of your system. All the puns intended.
Profile Image for Nicole.
2,293 reviews12 followers
July 20, 2022
Ways to deal with crap in your life, could be for teens & up.
Profile Image for Sam Gaskins.
71 reviews
March 4, 2023
A book borrowed from my mom. In my mom’s typical fashion, this book made me giggle and smile almost the whole way through. A breath of fresh air to keep perspective.
Profile Image for Stephanie Froebel.
425 reviews33 followers
January 18, 2018
A cute short read to read about crap (and not literal crap)

The book, although short, holds some good information and was a fun little read.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,501 reviews70 followers
January 7, 2015
Ever feel like your life is full of crap? It doesn’t have to ruin your day – or your life! Use this book to help you learn how to avoid it, deal with it or flush it out of your life. Adapted from back of book.

Initially, my thought was “this is an awfully short book to deal with such a big subject.” Except the authors quickly broke down exactly how basic this topic is and how complicated we tend to make it! The chapters are short and the page design is attractive with bullet points & side bars to break up the text. Overall the format made it a quick read – and it will make it more appealing to busy teens.

I would say loudly “Adults shouldn’t ignore this title! Lots for us here too!!” This is a topic that universally consumes our lives and mental attention much more than it ever should. So, adultish folks, grab this book and see how to break it down to flushable crap – and take control of your life!
Profile Image for Mary.
1,386 reviews43 followers
April 8, 2015
A very fine self-help book for teens. This short book explains that "crap" is part of life and lets the reader know that there are ways to deal with others' expectations or meanness as well as the inevitable bad luck of life. I read this book with my son and it gave us a great opportunity to talk about how he can know when others' expectations are meant to help him (like when I tell him to take extra care with his homework). It also gave us an opportunity to talk about when people are negative and how to not let that hurt. I really loved reading this book with him. I look forward to sharing it with teens who need a little dose of reality and comfort.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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