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Dad School
If you break your arm, do you go to the doctor? If you're hungry, do you eat? If you're unhappy, what do you do? Usually, we just curl up with the pain and wait for external conditions to change.
You'll spend years in schools improving your mind, years in gyms improving your body, and years in offices improving you career. How much time will you spend improving your happiness? How many teachers, coaches or bosses have ever taught you how to be happier?
This book gives you some ideas on how to be happier. It helps you get what you want and drop what you fear. It puts a warm arm around your shoulder, like an old Zen master, and guides you into the forest of your own mind, using stories, legends, Buddhism, cosmology, philosophy, physics and inspirational ideas from eclectic sources to give you a unique look at the world you've always seen.
The author wrote it while he was in Iraq, for his kids when they become adults.
You'll spend years in schools improving your mind, years in gyms improving your body, and years in offices improving you career. How much time will you spend improving your happiness? How many teachers, coaches or bosses have ever taught you how to be happier?
This book gives you some ideas on how to be happier. It helps you get what you want and drop what you fear. It puts a warm arm around your shoulder, like an old Zen master, and guides you into the forest of your own mind, using stories, legends, Buddhism, cosmology, philosophy, physics and inspirational ideas from eclectic sources to give you a unique look at the world you've always seen.
The author wrote it while he was in Iraq, for his kids when they become adults.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2015
4 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 8, 2015
*** I got this book as a First Reads Giveaway ***
The book arrived with a personal note from the author which added a touch of refinement and of courtesy to the gift.
I have been an avid reader my entire life, a lover of psychology and of the classics, but for the last year experienced what I have labeled as "a reader's block". I searched for new titles in book stores and in libraries, failing time and time again at finding a new one that would engage me.
And then, browsing through Goodreads, "Dad School" caught my attention. A modern classic similar to the quiet cataclysmic effect created by The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, but told differently.
The author had an ingenious style which gripped me from the first page. His strategic writing had me carrying the book around either under my arm or inside my purse everywhere I went, because my mind could not rest till resuming the reading. The message in his book re-ignited my hope without any religious undertone. It made me marvel at the astute style of the author, whom with every page enlightened me to alter - positively - my perceptions. There is no preaching, no leading; but a series of stories, anecdotes and even historical reflections weaving a masterpiece. Although the author intended this book as an unassuming offering to his wife and children, he captivated the heart of a stranger. It should be recommended reading for all middle school students. If more people read his message at an age when it can make a difference, so many more disoriented individuals would lead happier and more fulfilling lives. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the book is that it leads to a gradual and effortless mental reawakening. It never once preached or gave directions, it led you to find answers and to experience a personalized triumph of your own making. There was one burning question in my mind as I kept reading and it had to do with the subtitle on the first page: "A Field Guide to Happiness". I kept wondering why he called it a field guide until I had my own almost revolutionary awakening that the book was like the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) - a minefield lit with ideas.
The book also held tremendous suspense in its unfolding, because I knew the author fought in Iraq. There was no bitterness in his voice but reverence, which inspired admiration and which gave a mindful tone to his words. The first part of the book takes you almost into a rabbit hole of fiction with made-up words. As I tried to figure it out while becoming more and more intrigued by his scheme and tactics, I decided to stop and to go back to the beginning to make sense of what was turning into a complex riddle. It was then that like pulling a curtain, I deciphered the intentions of the author and the book became a treasured find. At that point, I returned to chapter IX and continued reading, determined to ward off any interruption until the last page. My copy is heavily underlined and highlighted and it will have a place at my bedside table, as a reference, as a reminder when I lose some of the certainty and the inspiration it gave me right now. There are many sections that I want to re-read and my final verdict on this book is that a star is born: Dug Popovich
The book arrived with a personal note from the author which added a touch of refinement and of courtesy to the gift.
I have been an avid reader my entire life, a lover of psychology and of the classics, but for the last year experienced what I have labeled as "a reader's block". I searched for new titles in book stores and in libraries, failing time and time again at finding a new one that would engage me.
And then, browsing through Goodreads, "Dad School" caught my attention. A modern classic similar to the quiet cataclysmic effect created by The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, but told differently.
The author had an ingenious style which gripped me from the first page. His strategic writing had me carrying the book around either under my arm or inside my purse everywhere I went, because my mind could not rest till resuming the reading. The message in his book re-ignited my hope without any religious undertone. It made me marvel at the astute style of the author, whom with every page enlightened me to alter - positively - my perceptions. There is no preaching, no leading; but a series of stories, anecdotes and even historical reflections weaving a masterpiece. Although the author intended this book as an unassuming offering to his wife and children, he captivated the heart of a stranger. It should be recommended reading for all middle school students. If more people read his message at an age when it can make a difference, so many more disoriented individuals would lead happier and more fulfilling lives. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the book is that it leads to a gradual and effortless mental reawakening. It never once preached or gave directions, it led you to find answers and to experience a personalized triumph of your own making. There was one burning question in my mind as I kept reading and it had to do with the subtitle on the first page: "A Field Guide to Happiness". I kept wondering why he called it a field guide until I had my own almost revolutionary awakening that the book was like the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) - a minefield lit with ideas.
The book also held tremendous suspense in its unfolding, because I knew the author fought in Iraq. There was no bitterness in his voice but reverence, which inspired admiration and which gave a mindful tone to his words. The first part of the book takes you almost into a rabbit hole of fiction with made-up words. As I tried to figure it out while becoming more and more intrigued by his scheme and tactics, I decided to stop and to go back to the beginning to make sense of what was turning into a complex riddle. It was then that like pulling a curtain, I deciphered the intentions of the author and the book became a treasured find. At that point, I returned to chapter IX and continued reading, determined to ward off any interruption until the last page. My copy is heavily underlined and highlighted and it will have a place at my bedside table, as a reference, as a reminder when I lose some of the certainty and the inspiration it gave me right now. There are many sections that I want to re-read and my final verdict on this book is that a star is born: Dug Popovich
August 6, 2016
I got this book as a First Reads Giveaway.
This book is on the smaller side of books, so I thought I would be able to get through it really quickly, but it actually took me several days to read, which is usually not a good sign. But the reason it took so long to read was because the book is jam-packed with so much stuff to think about and to absorb.
I wouldn't recommend reading this book in one sitting. I had to stop multiple times to reflect on what I had just read and apply it to my life.
I agree with the other reviewer that the beginning and end were difficult to follow, but the middle has so much information that can be used in every day life.
I usually don't write/highlight in any of my books, but I found myself 40 pages in getting a highlighter and highlighting sentences that really spoke to me.
This is definitely a book I will find myself grabbing every now and then and rereading just to reflect on my life.
This book is on the smaller side of books, so I thought I would be able to get through it really quickly, but it actually took me several days to read, which is usually not a good sign. But the reason it took so long to read was because the book is jam-packed with so much stuff to think about and to absorb.
I wouldn't recommend reading this book in one sitting. I had to stop multiple times to reflect on what I had just read and apply it to my life.
I agree with the other reviewer that the beginning and end were difficult to follow, but the middle has so much information that can be used in every day life.
I usually don't write/highlight in any of my books, but I found myself 40 pages in getting a highlighter and highlighting sentences that really spoke to me.
This is definitely a book I will find myself grabbing every now and then and rereading just to reflect on my life.
June 13, 2015
This is an interesting "school" not only for children, but for many adults also. I found the beginning and the very end of this book to be rather difficult to absorb. The main section of the book is awesome! It makes you delve into your feelings about life and happiness. If the problems you are trying to deal with are over-whelming, read this section and follow instructions! Anxiety, depression, family issues, and many more subjects can be handled by following the guidelines listed. This will be read many times by me, and each time a new lesson will be learned. Write in it, highlight sections...use it as a life guide! I cannot wait to read it again and apply the suggestions to my personal issues! Recommend this with a smile on my face...I learned some thing new today!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews