How to Be Perfect Like Me

by Dana Bowman

Recover. Rinse. Repeat.

Dana Bowman can’t escape the lure of perfectionism, trying to be a flawless wife, mother, and person in recovery. When Dana experiences a short-lived relapse during the Christmas holiday, she has the startling realization that recovery is more than just giving up alcohol.

In this funny and revealing follow-up to her best-selling book Bottled, Dana reflects on how we live in a society of excess, always pushing ourselves to do and be better. However, it doesn’t take her long to realize that self-care and getting over herself is the key to happiness.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2018

Reviews

[Joanna Doherty Salone · Rating 1 out of 5]

So awful I stopped reading midway. It was just a lot of whining about life, which I try my best to not do. I read for escape from daily life, don't need to be reminded of it's difficulties.

[Tory · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part was good! Not hilarious, but a little funny, with great one-liners like "Life is like a bounce house. There's going to be tears...or puke." And a memory of hitting rock bottom, staring at a half-eaten dusty Snickers found in the couch thinking "the easiest way to clean this up would be to just eat it" hit me on a visceral level.

After that, in parts 2 and 3, it became really disjointed. She'd switch lanes from paragraph to paragraph without any warning that we were discussing something different now. A good hard edit and rewrite would probably make this book a lot stronger. Find what the goal is and work toward that -- don't just string together a bunch of random paragraphs and insights to try to make a book.

(Also the little conversations/lists/etc. between chapters felt VERY forced.)

[Audrey Monke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This quick read has some fun anecdotes. I like Dana's stories and humor. It did wander a bit - but that was kind of the point. The "perfection" issue didn't really come up until the end. I thought it was a realistic and humorous read about a difficult subject - alcoholism - and how hard it is to break an addiction.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a self-proclaimed shy introvert, the author lays herself bare in this book, pulling no punches about her relapse from sobriety. Her writing style is gritty, but often poignant with touches of humor. The author is highly imaginative and introspective which makes for interesting reading. If you've ever felt like you just can't do it all, I suggest you read HOW TO BE PERFECT LIKE ME.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hot mess of a book. All over the place without anything to really bring it back home. I thought it was supposed to be funny but it wasn’t. But once I begin a book, I just power through and try to finish it. I would not recommend.

[Joni Aveni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with others that the first half was fun. But then it seemed to dissolve into way too many metaphors and not a lot of substance. I’ve read lots of similar themed memoirs in my 22 years of sobriety but this is not one of the more memorable or inspiring ones.

[Sarah Stahnke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Kept waiting for the point.

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. Not at all interesting.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little disjointed but who isn't. If I were to write a recovery memoir, it might be this one minus the G-d aspect. I enjoyed her stories and her tone and I'm happy to add this to my quit lit shelf.

[Karen Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected humor, but was treated with alcoholic recovery and the reality of being everyday

[Catherine Townsend-Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Have To Love Honesty In Recovery and About Being A MOM!

What an amazing little book for all those maintaining sobriety. An honest and humorous view of when we fall due to relapse, Dana shares we can get back up and continue our journey and in just five easy steps. Well, as you read, it is a wee bit more than that. Dana's writing style is infectious and we need to know from others like Dana sharing her story as in recovery we can laugh at ourselves and shortcomings.

Her in-depth look into alcoholism and recovery is informative and REAL. Learning from our mistakes is how we "pass on the recovery wisdom" to those who may be having a struggle in sobriety as well. I commend her for doing so in book form! A great read for those mom's in sobriety and I highly recommend this one!

[Kathleen Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing little book. This book is for anyone in a twelve step program, a person wishing to obtain or return to a sober lifestyle and anyone who is a Mom. Dana Bowman is witty, honest and exceptionally humorous when dealing with life experiences in the day to day world. Bowman's writing style is infectious and we need to continue reading to understand our children and coping with sobriety. She takes an in depth look into alcoholism and recovery which is great. The only thing which she does not point out is that every alcoholitic has another drunk within themselves but do they have another recovery? This often remains the elusive question. It is not until virtually the last page that we find out how we are all perfect. A wonderful simple read which I recommend.

[Deborah Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read book for everyone. Although the author is in recovery, this book is about more than just her personal recovery. It's about her journey in life. To say the book is hilarious is an understatement, yet everyone will recognize certain life truths, whether or not we want to admit them. While I have little in common with this author, I easily recognized myself within the pages of this book. This book will make you laugh, cry, hiccup and bring joy to your day. Read the book; I couldn't put it down.