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Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me
Charlamagne Tha God, New York Times bestselling author of Black Privilege and always provocative cohost of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club , reveals his blueprint for breaking free from your fears and anxieties.
Being “shook” is more than a rap lyric for Charlamagne, it’s his mission to overcome. While it may seem like he’s ahead of the game, he is actually plagued by anxieties, such as the fear of losing his roots, the fear of being a bad dad, and the fear of being a terrible husband. In the national bestseller Shook One , Charlamagne chronicles his journey to beat those fears and shows a path that you too can take to overcome the anxieties that may be holding you back.
Ironically, Charlamagne’s fear of failure—of falling into the life of stagnation or crime that caught up so many of his friends and family in his hometown of Moncks Corner—has been the fuel that has propelled him to success. However, even after achieving national prominence as a radio personality, Charlamagne still found himself paralyzed by anxiety and distrust. Here, in Shook One , he is working through these problems—many of which he traces back to cultural PTSD—with help from mentors, friends, and therapy. Being anxious doesn’t serve the same purpose anymore. Through therapy, he’s figuring out how to get over the irrational fears that won’t take him anywhere positive.
Charlamange hopes Shook One can be a call to Getting help is your right. His second book “cements the radio personality’s stance in making sure he’s on the right side of history when it comes to society’s growing focus on mental health, while helping remove the negative stigma” ( Billboard ).
Being “shook” is more than a rap lyric for Charlamagne, it’s his mission to overcome. While it may seem like he’s ahead of the game, he is actually plagued by anxieties, such as the fear of losing his roots, the fear of being a bad dad, and the fear of being a terrible husband. In the national bestseller Shook One , Charlamagne chronicles his journey to beat those fears and shows a path that you too can take to overcome the anxieties that may be holding you back.
Ironically, Charlamagne’s fear of failure—of falling into the life of stagnation or crime that caught up so many of his friends and family in his hometown of Moncks Corner—has been the fuel that has propelled him to success. However, even after achieving national prominence as a radio personality, Charlamagne still found himself paralyzed by anxiety and distrust. Here, in Shook One , he is working through these problems—many of which he traces back to cultural PTSD—with help from mentors, friends, and therapy. Being anxious doesn’t serve the same purpose anymore. Through therapy, he’s figuring out how to get over the irrational fears that won’t take him anywhere positive.
Charlamange hopes Shook One can be a call to Getting help is your right. His second book “cements the radio personality’s stance in making sure he’s on the right side of history when it comes to society’s growing focus on mental health, while helping remove the negative stigma” ( Billboard ).
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2018
609 people are currently reading
3293 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
November 11, 2018
Charlamagne is someone I’ve always admired for his ability to be blunt and honest no matter what the cost. And this book is no exception.
With an eye-watering realness, he takes you on a journey through his fears and anxieties and his struggles to overcome them. He’s not talking about them from the perspective of someone trying to help (let me fix you), he’s speaking from direct visceral, personal experience (let me show you, and let that speak for itself and help who it will). A lot of self help books can be patronising, lecturing and smug. Not this one. He combines the good with the bad. The worldly with the godly. The profound with the trivial. Like Life itself.
What was most refreshing about this book was how relatable it was for me as a working class South Asian woman of colour - he’s been poor, he’s been insecure, he’s been part of a dysfunctional but often loving family, he’s been ambitious and dreaming. He has had all the fears, anxieties and traumas that accompany this to his very bones and it’s believable. THAT’S the kind of person speaking to me. I can’t believe someone telling me to do yoga when they do it out of boredom. Charlemagne’s struggle for peace is palpable, he does it for his loved ones and he does it for his sanity, he does it because he knows there is a higher purpose.
I had many eye opening mind changing experiences reading this (and believe me, I read a lot of books so this isn’t a minor thing). His chapter on ‘Losing My Roots’, was so REAL and so RAW it literally made my throat hurt, and the tears linger (I was on a plane so I couldn’t let them fall haha).
Excellent book! I’ll be copping his other one, and continuing to support. Thank you for writing this and well done on all your hard earned success Charlamagne!! It’s damn well deserved !
With an eye-watering realness, he takes you on a journey through his fears and anxieties and his struggles to overcome them. He’s not talking about them from the perspective of someone trying to help (let me fix you), he’s speaking from direct visceral, personal experience (let me show you, and let that speak for itself and help who it will). A lot of self help books can be patronising, lecturing and smug. Not this one. He combines the good with the bad. The worldly with the godly. The profound with the trivial. Like Life itself.
What was most refreshing about this book was how relatable it was for me as a working class South Asian woman of colour - he’s been poor, he’s been insecure, he’s been part of a dysfunctional but often loving family, he’s been ambitious and dreaming. He has had all the fears, anxieties and traumas that accompany this to his very bones and it’s believable. THAT’S the kind of person speaking to me. I can’t believe someone telling me to do yoga when they do it out of boredom. Charlemagne’s struggle for peace is palpable, he does it for his loved ones and he does it for his sanity, he does it because he knows there is a higher purpose.
I had many eye opening mind changing experiences reading this (and believe me, I read a lot of books so this isn’t a minor thing). His chapter on ‘Losing My Roots’, was so REAL and so RAW it literally made my throat hurt, and the tears linger (I was on a plane so I couldn’t let them fall haha).
Excellent book! I’ll be copping his other one, and continuing to support. Thank you for writing this and well done on all your hard earned success Charlamagne!! It’s damn well deserved !
December 11, 2018
I knew this was going to be a stretch seeing how I'm a middle aged white woman with zero experience living in any other place than a small, safe, slow paced town my whole life. I was hoping to disconnect from what the author describes as "Blackanoid" and find something useful to apply to my own life. I was partially able to do that hence the 3 star rating.
October 23, 2019
I have to admit that I'm not really all that familiar with Charlamagne Tha God. I don't listen to the radio, like... ever. When I'm in the car, I'm listening to an audiobook, or if not that, then usually music I or the hubs chose. Radio is not part of my life, and on the rare occasions that I hit "mode" too many times switching between options in the car and radio comes on, I'm pretty quickly reminded of why I make different choices with my listening time.
BUT, I've seen CTG in interviews, like on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and I like him. I like him even more now that I've read this book. This book spoke to me. (And NOT just because I listened to it. Har har har.) But because I recognized a lot of my own thoughts and behaviors in the kinds of things that CTG aired of his own thoughts and insecurities and anxieties. (A big one that came right at the end of the book was fear of failure, manifesting as fear of success via self-deprecation and self-sabotage. Oh man, did that hit home. I literally shit on myself every single day at work, so that if I fuck up, I called it first. Sigh. I need to work on that.)
This book also spoke to me on another level as well. If you have followed me for a while, you know that I have been reading a lot of social issue type books, especially regarding race. And this book fits in there too, because a lot of what CTG discusses pertains strongly to his experiences as a black man in America, and how that affects his anxiety and mental health issues. And it made me uncomfortable, a lot. He doesn't hold back, and so this book is probably likely to offend people due to the language and terms he chooses to use, as well as the brutal reality of his experience. But, while my discomfort was real, it wasn't due to taking offense at the way he describes his experiences or the people who've caused them, it was because I recognize it as truth, and even though I can't sympathize or truly understand that experience, I can empathize and want to help be part of the change so that fewer people need to live it.
This is not a self-help book. There's no advice for how to deal with anxiety or depression or mental illness, other than to be open to the fact that there's no shame in it, and to be willing to put in the work. This is really a self-acknowledgement book. A book that says that it's OK to be who you are, even if that's not the perfect image or version of who you think you should be. A book that says it's OK to fuck up, as long as we learn from it and try to do and be better next time. A book that says that it's OK to ask for help. And that we SHOULD ask for help. It's a book that says to be honest, with ourselves most of all.
I loved this book, and I loved CTG's honesty and his blunt lay-it-all-out-there approach. I appreciated the way that he admitted his fuck-ups, both very public and very private, and that he has learned from them and grown as a person and an ally to others. I appreciate that he's not perfect, that he didn't paint himself as any sort of guru or expert, but rather that he acknowledged that he has issues he needs to work through, is putting in the work with a therapist and seeing results and positivity coming from it, and that he wants to help others to do the same. He wants to encourage people to let go of the bullshit stigma that says that getting help for anxiety or depression or any sort of trauma or mental illness is weak. The stigma is what's weak. It's based in fear. But we don't have to let fear rule us.
BUT, I've seen CTG in interviews, like on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and I like him. I like him even more now that I've read this book. This book spoke to me. (And NOT just because I listened to it. Har har har.) But because I recognized a lot of my own thoughts and behaviors in the kinds of things that CTG aired of his own thoughts and insecurities and anxieties. (A big one that came right at the end of the book was fear of failure, manifesting as fear of success via self-deprecation and self-sabotage. Oh man, did that hit home. I literally shit on myself every single day at work, so that if I fuck up, I called it first. Sigh. I need to work on that.)
This book also spoke to me on another level as well. If you have followed me for a while, you know that I have been reading a lot of social issue type books, especially regarding race. And this book fits in there too, because a lot of what CTG discusses pertains strongly to his experiences as a black man in America, and how that affects his anxiety and mental health issues. And it made me uncomfortable, a lot. He doesn't hold back, and so this book is probably likely to offend people due to the language and terms he chooses to use, as well as the brutal reality of his experience. But, while my discomfort was real, it wasn't due to taking offense at the way he describes his experiences or the people who've caused them, it was because I recognize it as truth, and even though I can't sympathize or truly understand that experience, I can empathize and want to help be part of the change so that fewer people need to live it.
This is not a self-help book. There's no advice for how to deal with anxiety or depression or mental illness, other than to be open to the fact that there's no shame in it, and to be willing to put in the work. This is really a self-acknowledgement book. A book that says that it's OK to be who you are, even if that's not the perfect image or version of who you think you should be. A book that says it's OK to fuck up, as long as we learn from it and try to do and be better next time. A book that says that it's OK to ask for help. And that we SHOULD ask for help. It's a book that says to be honest, with ourselves most of all.
I loved this book, and I loved CTG's honesty and his blunt lay-it-all-out-there approach. I appreciated the way that he admitted his fuck-ups, both very public and very private, and that he has learned from them and grown as a person and an ally to others. I appreciate that he's not perfect, that he didn't paint himself as any sort of guru or expert, but rather that he acknowledged that he has issues he needs to work through, is putting in the work with a therapist and seeing results and positivity coming from it, and that he wants to help others to do the same. He wants to encourage people to let go of the bullshit stigma that says that getting help for anxiety or depression or any sort of trauma or mental illness is weak. The stigma is what's weak. It's based in fear. But we don't have to let fear rule us.
December 10, 2018
Shook One is an easy read with a very specific objective: make sense of coping with anxiety as a black person in the western world. A heady and important objective when you consider that mental health is generally not meaningfully discussed in our communities. We are all expected to 'tough it out' or 'man up', regardless of how traumatic or scarring our experiences.
The book has an interesting format: Charlamagne speaks to different scenarios and experiences where he had/has to struggle with anxiety. A trained therapist then intervenes to help the reader contexualise Charlamagne's experiences through the rubric of established pshychological theory.
Charlamagne is, after all a media personality and not a writer writer so don't expect the use of language in Shook One to mirror Hemmingway (a part of why I'm only giving it 3 stars). Also if you're not black, some of the references may go past you a bit in the beginning. Push through. It's worth the read.
The book has an interesting format: Charlamagne speaks to different scenarios and experiences where he had/has to struggle with anxiety. A trained therapist then intervenes to help the reader contexualise Charlamagne's experiences through the rubric of established pshychological theory.
Charlamagne is, after all a media personality and not a writer writer so don't expect the use of language in Shook One to mirror Hemmingway (a part of why I'm only giving it 3 stars). Also if you're not black, some of the references may go past you a bit in the beginning. Push through. It's worth the read.
Want to read
April 9, 2021I wouldn't normally bother with none fiction books, especially books coming from "celebrities" of any kind (Yes, there are a few exceptions).
Then I watched this interview with Trevor Noah.
Now I want to read this book. *soon*
Then I watched this interview with Trevor Noah.
Now I want to read this book. *soon*
November 13, 2018
I really really liked this. Being an anxiety sufferer all of my life, I felt seen and heard and definitely understood. Charlamagne went into details about his bouts with anxiety. I love that he is open and honest. Some of his stories were down right embarrassing and there were times where I was like "yep, been there." I'm really happy that more African American's are talking openly about anxiety and PTSD. I agree 100% that trauma is carried throughout generations. I like how a therapist goes into what Charlamagne previously talked about from a doctors view and broke it down to where it was easy to understand. I also liked that Charlamagne was open about having a therapist and going to therapy every week. I enjoyed this so much I'm thinking about buying the book just so I can go back and re read when I need it.
January 13, 2019
The book was not what I expected. I first heard about it from my aunt who saw Charlamagne on the Dr Phil show promoting this book. She knows I have anxiety real bad and I'm always looking for any new insight on my constant struggle with it. So I was excited to check this book out. Once I started reading I realized it's wasn't really for me. There's not a lot of advice for the reader, the book is more about learning about Charlamagne and what makes him anxious. But his stories are interesting just not really helpful with anxiety.
I also think I had a disconnect with the book because it is written more for the African American community and so the fears he has of white people/police/gangs I didn't relate to at all. I felt bad that he's afraid of white people since I am a white woman and don't think that way or surround myself with people who don't like black people. My husband is black and I don't see these same fears in him, or maybe he's never mentioned them. Though we have been in small towns in WY where I've seen a cop and told my husband act cool... which might be that same fear that Charlamagne feels I guess. I was a little afraid to get pulled over and him get targeted.
Some parts I did relate to, like when he speaks of moving away from the town he grew up in and every time he goes back to visit he feels the disconnect to his friends that he left behind. But that doesn't actually cause me anxiety like it does him. There was one chapter where he starts kind of name dropping famous people and again.. I didn't really know what that had to do with anxiety. I did really like that at the end of each chapter a professional psychiatrist does write up a section that is more helpful with actually coping with anxiety.
I really do believe though that the males from the African American community might really like this book and really relate to many of the examples that Charlamagne writes about. It's not a bad book just not for me.
I also think I had a disconnect with the book because it is written more for the African American community and so the fears he has of white people/police/gangs I didn't relate to at all. I felt bad that he's afraid of white people since I am a white woman and don't think that way or surround myself with people who don't like black people. My husband is black and I don't see these same fears in him, or maybe he's never mentioned them. Though we have been in small towns in WY where I've seen a cop and told my husband act cool... which might be that same fear that Charlamagne feels I guess. I was a little afraid to get pulled over and him get targeted.
Some parts I did relate to, like when he speaks of moving away from the town he grew up in and every time he goes back to visit he feels the disconnect to his friends that he left behind. But that doesn't actually cause me anxiety like it does him. There was one chapter where he starts kind of name dropping famous people and again.. I didn't really know what that had to do with anxiety. I did really like that at the end of each chapter a professional psychiatrist does write up a section that is more helpful with actually coping with anxiety.
I really do believe though that the males from the African American community might really like this book and really relate to many of the examples that Charlamagne writes about. It's not a bad book just not for me.
March 22, 2019
I was not one bit surprised when, upon deciding to "come out as pussy", the author's sexual orientation was questioned and he was accused of being anything other than what he had explicitly exhibited his whole life. The reason being, the only thing worse for a heterosexual man to be categorized with anything womanly is to question if he is gay. Fortunately, the author wears his pussy heart with pride and is probably all the more available to his wife and children than if he maintained the false, stiff, constraining bravado that he was brought up to believe by his family of origin and the society in which he lived. Charlamagne Tha God is a REAL man. Not so much because of his innate orientation but because he has the depth of character, wisdom, and smarts to rise above the constraints of patriarchy and proudly pussy.
October 31, 2018
Loved the clinical side to each chapter.
July 17, 2019
When I read Black Privilege several years ago I was shocked that I applauded the depth and honesty of a book of this sort. My image of Charlemagne Tha God was like that of most people: Arrogant, opinionated, one-sided, ignorant. What I discovered was that Charlemagne The God (from this point forward CTG) was all of that and equally, perhaps more so, brilliant. He told parts of my life story, made it okay to be imperfect and flawed, made it urgent for people to live their truths. I appreciate him, paid him the accolades that I'd long reserved for academicians, think-tankers, and philosophers. CTG was all of that, too.
Shook One, CTG's second effort, was an incredible continuation and does not disappoint. I opted to absorb CTG's thoughts through an audiobook and, by accident or intentional design, was transported into a conversation with a familiar voice: a neighbor, relative, or trusted friend. The premise of the book was the tabooed topic of mental illness, in this case, anxiety. Unlike the many books covering this subject, Shook One took a turn to make the illness understandable, absent of stigma, and worthy of recognition. CTG told his story and in the process told ours. He told how the illness directed and almost destroyed his life. He spoke of therapy, affectionately, openly, proudly. He attempted, with some success I hope, to let the nervous or the proud know that therapy is not the embarrassment, but refusing or thwarting treatment is the albatross that grows heavier when left unattended. To further impact the issue commentary is provided by Dr. Ish who "diagnoses" CTG's stories. This is a novel approach and an effective method of strengthening the purpose.
Shook One made me take a closer look at myself, to determine if I had the common symptoms of anxiety. I searched, reflected, and thought about times when I felt outside myself. Nothing qualified to the level of anxiety described by CTG and Dr. Ish. But to be made to reflect qualified their point; I checked.
Much respect to CTG and Dr. Ish. I am a bonified fan and supporter of his thoughts and rhetoric until he gives me a reason to be otherwise. Read Shook One. Celebrate CTG's honesty, then take a deep meaningful look in the mirror and embrace what you see.
Shook One, CTG's second effort, was an incredible continuation and does not disappoint. I opted to absorb CTG's thoughts through an audiobook and, by accident or intentional design, was transported into a conversation with a familiar voice: a neighbor, relative, or trusted friend. The premise of the book was the tabooed topic of mental illness, in this case, anxiety. Unlike the many books covering this subject, Shook One took a turn to make the illness understandable, absent of stigma, and worthy of recognition. CTG told his story and in the process told ours. He told how the illness directed and almost destroyed his life. He spoke of therapy, affectionately, openly, proudly. He attempted, with some success I hope, to let the nervous or the proud know that therapy is not the embarrassment, but refusing or thwarting treatment is the albatross that grows heavier when left unattended. To further impact the issue commentary is provided by Dr. Ish who "diagnoses" CTG's stories. This is a novel approach and an effective method of strengthening the purpose.
Shook One made me take a closer look at myself, to determine if I had the common symptoms of anxiety. I searched, reflected, and thought about times when I felt outside myself. Nothing qualified to the level of anxiety described by CTG and Dr. Ish. But to be made to reflect qualified their point; I checked.
Much respect to CTG and Dr. Ish. I am a bonified fan and supporter of his thoughts and rhetoric until he gives me a reason to be otherwise. Read Shook One. Celebrate CTG's honesty, then take a deep meaningful look in the mirror and embrace what you see.
Currently reading
December 19, 2019So, I didn't even know Charlamagne Tha God wrote books - I mainly know him from his radio show The Breakfast Club...and a lot of that is limited to his "Donkey of the Day" segments. Also the hilarious time that Drake tried to get him involved with (Drake's) beef with Meek Mills. (Drake sent Charlamagne several bottles of expensive champagne along with a note asking for them to become friends).
I started reading this because Becky read it and enjoyed it. And I suffer from anxiety. TBH, for a long time I didn't even know it was anxiety...then one day I was with one of my cousins during a family event. She asked me to stay the night with her at a hotel instead of with the family because they were causing her anxiety to ratchet up. And that was my light-bulb moment.
I started reading this because Becky read it and enjoyed it. And I suffer from anxiety. TBH, for a long time I didn't even know it was anxiety...then one day I was with one of my cousins during a family event. She asked me to stay the night with her at a hotel instead of with the family because they were causing her anxiety to ratchet up. And that was my light-bulb moment.
February 18, 2019
I’ve always loved Charlemagne because of his ability to say how he feels at all times and not being afraid to ask the hard questions. I knew I would love this book but not to this extent. He is so open in this book about his personal struggles with anxiety and how he deals with it. A lot of the things he mentions in here are the same issues I deal with so it feels good to know your not alone. Also he gives you a couple affirmations in here that help him out which you could also use for yourself and has the help of a therapist to break things down even better. All and all it was a great book and I wasn’t disappointed.
October 29, 2018
Not as good as his last book. I couldn’t really relate to much of it, maybe because I just don’t care about things enough to suffer from anxiety? This all just sounds like overreactions due to paranoia. Anyway, hopefully some people will find this useful.
February 14, 2020
Dusting off my reading slump with this book. Picked it up as means of being able to share and understand my wife's recent decision to start seeing a therapist. As a fan of Charlamagne, this is book was a clear choice since his first book was relatable and easy to follow. With this second iteration, CTG shares with his readers life events and experiences that are causes for anxiety and stress. He is very descriptive and holds no punches when sharing his misfortunes and insecurities.
The premise is helping the audience cope and understand that we all face fears and anxiety on a daily basis. Accepting it and seeking help is the path to find peace.
As I fast approach my mid thirties, I found this book full of similar life experiences, mistakes, and and overall outlook on life that any man within that age demographic will be challenged with.
The premise is helping the audience cope and understand that we all face fears and anxiety on a daily basis. Accepting it and seeking help is the path to find peace.
As I fast approach my mid thirties, I found this book full of similar life experiences, mistakes, and and overall outlook on life that any man within that age demographic will be challenged with.
March 20, 2019
Great insight to the root of his anxiety and how he is currently treating it. Encourages others to seek help, showing that everyone can benefit from therapy or talking to someone about their problems. I also enjoyed the excerpts from the psychiatrist that further explained the science behind anxiety and its causes.
March 29, 2019
I especially enjoyed the clinical correlation. The book overall did provide great insight as to who he is and it was SO funny
November 1, 2018
The second book by media personality, Lenard Mckelvy (better known as Charlamagne da God) is a surprisingly enjoyable and informative read.
Surprising (at least for me) because although I enjoyed his last book "Black Privilege" - I was skeptical about what he could possibly fill another whole book with. My low expectations were met and exceeded in this case.
The book deals with trauma, anxiety and therapy. If there is a single point to be taken away from this book, its: go to therapy. The author wants to do away with the stigma that African (American)s attach to mental health issues and getting treatment for them.
The argument is simply that black people suffer more trauma than they are possibly conciosuly aware of: the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, police brutality, subtle and overt racism and the lack of connection to a 'homeland' among others. As a result, we (they) need as much help as we (they) can get to address these underlying problems in our (their) psyche.
Having listened to the audio-book, I can say the book is well narrated and well written. Cleverly, Charlamagne gives personal anecdotes and stories in each chapter (ranging from his experiences of coming of age as a drug dealer, self doubt as a radio host, anxiety regarding parenting and marriage), which are then rounded off by more in-depth diagnostic explanations by Dr Ish, a trained health professional.
I learnt a considerable amount from this book - and who knows, maybe I might start going to therapy now.
Surprising (at least for me) because although I enjoyed his last book "Black Privilege" - I was skeptical about what he could possibly fill another whole book with. My low expectations were met and exceeded in this case.
The book deals with trauma, anxiety and therapy. If there is a single point to be taken away from this book, its: go to therapy. The author wants to do away with the stigma that African (American)s attach to mental health issues and getting treatment for them.
The argument is simply that black people suffer more trauma than they are possibly conciosuly aware of: the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, police brutality, subtle and overt racism and the lack of connection to a 'homeland' among others. As a result, we (they) need as much help as we (they) can get to address these underlying problems in our (their) psyche.
Having listened to the audio-book, I can say the book is well narrated and well written. Cleverly, Charlamagne gives personal anecdotes and stories in each chapter (ranging from his experiences of coming of age as a drug dealer, self doubt as a radio host, anxiety regarding parenting and marriage), which are then rounded off by more in-depth diagnostic explanations by Dr Ish, a trained health professional.
I learnt a considerable amount from this book - and who knows, maybe I might start going to therapy now.
June 13, 2019
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! ---> What I would consider a mix between a memoir and self-help, it's the perfect balance between personal experiences, life lessons, clinical correlations and diagnosis. I appreciated the author's transparency and authenticity. He discussed his past struggles, current struggles, took accountability for mistakes and didn't simply blame them on anxiety or depression. He made the reader feel that it's ok to have these feelings and emotions, and assured the reader that it was ok to acknowledge that you need help, and to also seek help. He provided resources on how to cope with anxiety, and that you may always have anxiety, but it doesn't have to rule your life.
My favorite part of the book were the psychologist's insight to what the author had just described. There were clinical correlations to everything that was discussed in the book. It was like having your own 7 hour therapy session (because that's how long the audio book was). I would HIGHLY recommend EVERYONE reading this book. Although you may feel that you don't suffer from panic and anxiety, it is still a good resource on how to handle stress, and just living an overall better life! Thank you to the author for his insight, transparency, vulnerability, and awareness! My hat is off to you!
My favorite part of the book were the psychologist's insight to what the author had just described. There were clinical correlations to everything that was discussed in the book. It was like having your own 7 hour therapy session (because that's how long the audio book was). I would HIGHLY recommend EVERYONE reading this book. Although you may feel that you don't suffer from panic and anxiety, it is still a good resource on how to handle stress, and just living an overall better life! Thank you to the author for his insight, transparency, vulnerability, and awareness! My hat is off to you!
August 17, 2019
Excellent book in which the author discloses the impact that anxiety has had on his life. As a hip-hop musician and a prominent media personality in the Black community, he knows many others who have anxiety but try to hide it. He gives ample evidence that macho attitudes and behavior are just a cover-up for PTSD and survivor guilt and fears due to living in a racist society and a world where people in the Black community fight each other rather than uniting to fight larger social oppression.
I really admire the author for de-stigmatizing anxiety and for emphasizing the aspects of toxic masculinity that lead men to pretend they're fearless when quite the opposite is true. I also liked his therapist's comments reinforcing the messages of each chapter.
If you liked this book, you might also appreciate the book Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy, who is a Black psychologist.
I really admire the author for de-stigmatizing anxiety and for emphasizing the aspects of toxic masculinity that lead men to pretend they're fearless when quite the opposite is true. I also liked his therapist's comments reinforcing the messages of each chapter.
If you liked this book, you might also appreciate the book Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy, who is a Black psychologist.
February 6, 2019
This is an awesome read/listen I got the audiobook and it helped me see that I needed therapy! I started it when it first came out and I wish I would’ve finished then! He did a great job on both his books.
August 10, 2019
This was very real - good for Charlemagne for being 100%! As a music nerd, I liked how he related a lot of hip hop lyrics that could be interpreted differently, with anxiety. Also, I kept thinking a lot of men would benefit from this book while I was reading it.
November 10, 2022
Powerful stuff. This book reminds me why Charlamagne is an extremely influential role model to me.
November 2, 2024
I've really gained a new respect for Charlamagne after listening to his last 2 books. The vulnerability and transparency in the pages allow readers to see beyond the radio host personality and get a glimpse into his upbringing and why he is who he is.
November 29, 2018
Essentially, this is more of the same from the first book but with a nominal mental health theme. If you've heard any of his recent interviews on the Breakfast Club or on his podcast, where he pauses every few minutes to stress the importance of mental health awareness, which he just so happens to have written a book about, you can imagine what this is like.
To me, this mental health awareness trend might honestly be the most obnoxious thing in American life today, which is saying something. But regardless of what you think about it, this is repetitive and lacking in depth. It's especially unfortunate that he doesn't go into any real depth about recent controversies involving an alleged sexual assault umpteen years ago, and something Lil Duval said on the Breakfast Club. I was hoping for more, both for the lulz and because I think it's important to be candid, and public, about your various flaws.
To me, this mental health awareness trend might honestly be the most obnoxious thing in American life today, which is saying something. But regardless of what you think about it, this is repetitive and lacking in depth. It's especially unfortunate that he doesn't go into any real depth about recent controversies involving an alleged sexual assault umpteen years ago, and something Lil Duval said on the Breakfast Club. I was hoping for more, both for the lulz and because I think it's important to be candid, and public, about your various flaws.
March 6, 2019
I liked his personal stories of how he manages his anxiety. I greatly appreciated how he normalized therapy and discussed it impacts on his life and his growth. A very good book that I will use with my clients as it is personable and speaks in a basic language so that those not familiar with the clinical world can understand. I really appreciated how he had a psychologist explain what Charlamange was experiencing from a clinical perspective.
February 27, 2019
As an avid listener of his podcast, I find Charlamagne has always been open and honest about his experiences and this book stays true to his approach to life. This book sheds light on an important topic, anxiety, and his relatable stories do a great job of tying into his great advice and insight into what he’s learned thus far.
March 24, 2019
Amazing to read his struggles and how they made him stronger. Anyone suffering in silence with depression and/or anxiety would benefit from reading it. Very brave of him to share his story. Takes guts to do that.
November 9, 2018
Every so often a book is written that changes the literary game, providing content so essential, even nonreaders take notice. It's message so impactful that it shifts our collective perspective. I am very excited to say Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks On Me by Charlamagne Tha God is one of those books.
There has never been a time when seeking help from a therapist has been considered socially acceptable in the African American community. As a matter of fact, not only is seeing a therapist seen as unacceptable, but it is also seen as a sign of weakness. Some even consider it proof that those in need of mental help have a lack of faith in God.
Shook One successfully strips away the shame and stigma of seeking therapy. It does so by detailing why it is not simply okay, but instead, paramount that we seek therapy if we are struggling with mental illness. Charlamagne bravely details his own experience with therapy and discusses the issues in his life that has plagued him with anxiety.
Providing not just compelling entertainment but also substantial food for thought, Charlamagne solicits the help of one of the country’s leading therapists, Dr. Ish from VH1's reality show Celebrity Boot Camp to help pen this book. At the end of each chapter Dr. Ish provides clinical commentary about anxiety and therapy.
This is not by any means a heavy, dry or boring read. In true Charlamagne fashion he shares each of his stories with a heavy dose of blunt realism sprinkled with just the right amount of humor. Making it the perfect mixture of edutainment - a combination of education & entertainment (shout out to KRSOne).
Some of the major sources of anxiety that he addresses includes being a parent, fear of failure, and one of my favorite topics in the book, indefinitely.
I believe Shook One is a must read for anyone suffering from anxiety. Blessed with the talent to discuss difficult and traumatic subjects with ease, Charlamagne provides a sense of comfort to his readers by allowing them to feel they are not alone on their journey to finding peace and healing.
There has never been a time when seeking help from a therapist has been considered socially acceptable in the African American community. As a matter of fact, not only is seeing a therapist seen as unacceptable, but it is also seen as a sign of weakness. Some even consider it proof that those in need of mental help have a lack of faith in God.
Shook One successfully strips away the shame and stigma of seeking therapy. It does so by detailing why it is not simply okay, but instead, paramount that we seek therapy if we are struggling with mental illness. Charlamagne bravely details his own experience with therapy and discusses the issues in his life that has plagued him with anxiety.
Providing not just compelling entertainment but also substantial food for thought, Charlamagne solicits the help of one of the country’s leading therapists, Dr. Ish from VH1's reality show Celebrity Boot Camp to help pen this book. At the end of each chapter Dr. Ish provides clinical commentary about anxiety and therapy.
This is not by any means a heavy, dry or boring read. In true Charlamagne fashion he shares each of his stories with a heavy dose of blunt realism sprinkled with just the right amount of humor. Making it the perfect mixture of edutainment - a combination of education & entertainment (shout out to KRSOne).
Some of the major sources of anxiety that he addresses includes being a parent, fear of failure, and one of my favorite topics in the book, indefinitely.
I believe Shook One is a must read for anyone suffering from anxiety. Blessed with the talent to discuss difficult and traumatic subjects with ease, Charlamagne provides a sense of comfort to his readers by allowing them to feel they are not alone on their journey to finding peace and healing.
November 18, 2018
... although "Shook One" is a lyric from the Infamous Mobb Deep:
"son, they shook
cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks
scared to death, scared to look, they shook,"
Charlamagne tha God's second book, Shook One, subtitled Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me; his first, Black Privilege, is a New York Times bestseller, is as much an ode to the state of mental health in this country or lack thereof, as it is a long apology letter to those he believes he has wronged, including God whom he feels he has let down on more than one occasion.
He apologizes to his wife, his mother, his children, his fans, decries the relationship he has with his father, although he loves him; which is a poignant story in itself. But Charlamagne is a mouthpiece, a cultural arbiter who is indeed an influencer, who if not moves the culture forward, at least is not afraid to tell it about itself.
Kanye and Tomi Lahren make appearances and if it seems Charlamagne doesn't know what he's doing, other than being himself, in this age of social media, it matters less.
He creates buzz.
And among other things, fear of raising his daughters properly, fear of failure, drives his anxiety. Throughout, you may wonder if it's self-flagellation but to rein in his tangents, after each chapter, starting with chapter 2, a clinical correlation is provided by Dr. Ish (Ish Major), of WeTV's Marriage Boot Camp, and a top American psychiatrist, to make sense of the clutter that is CthaGod.
Yes, Charlamagne has "issues," and if you're an ardent listener of The Breakfast Club, you already know this and certainly you've laughed along with him. But what gives this book its potency is his willingness to share his vulnerabilities while taking responsibility for his, by his own account, many missteps and shedding light on the inability for whatever reason; stigma, purported cost, of so many to seek therapy - he makes it palatable and perhaps, cool.
"son, they shook
cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks
scared to death, scared to look, they shook,"
Charlamagne tha God's second book, Shook One, subtitled Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me; his first, Black Privilege, is a New York Times bestseller, is as much an ode to the state of mental health in this country or lack thereof, as it is a long apology letter to those he believes he has wronged, including God whom he feels he has let down on more than one occasion.
He apologizes to his wife, his mother, his children, his fans, decries the relationship he has with his father, although he loves him; which is a poignant story in itself. But Charlamagne is a mouthpiece, a cultural arbiter who is indeed an influencer, who if not moves the culture forward, at least is not afraid to tell it about itself.
Kanye and Tomi Lahren make appearances and if it seems Charlamagne doesn't know what he's doing, other than being himself, in this age of social media, it matters less.
He creates buzz.
And among other things, fear of raising his daughters properly, fear of failure, drives his anxiety. Throughout, you may wonder if it's self-flagellation but to rein in his tangents, after each chapter, starting with chapter 2, a clinical correlation is provided by Dr. Ish (Ish Major), of WeTV's Marriage Boot Camp, and a top American psychiatrist, to make sense of the clutter that is CthaGod.
Yes, Charlamagne has "issues," and if you're an ardent listener of The Breakfast Club, you already know this and certainly you've laughed along with him. But what gives this book its potency is his willingness to share his vulnerabilities while taking responsibility for his, by his own account, many missteps and shedding light on the inability for whatever reason; stigma, purported cost, of so many to seek therapy - he makes it palatable and perhaps, cool.
February 7, 2019
I picked this book up because I enjoy listening to Charlamagne on the radio and figured that I would enjoy the book. First couple of chapters(once I got to chapter 5, i
I was losing interest) were strong and the message of anxiety was loud and clean, I like that he used Scarface the rapper in his opening.
But I didn't care for the therapist (Dr. Ish) point of view. it just seemed pre-written and no emotion, don't get me wrong I'm all for therapist but it just felt like this book fell short when reading the therapist position..
I did love the message and I did love the fact that he was giving out ways for people to seek therapy for anxiety.
Would I recommend this book not really however I would recommend the first couple of chapters...
I was losing interest) were strong and the message of anxiety was loud and clean, I like that he used Scarface the rapper in his opening.
But I didn't care for the therapist (Dr. Ish) point of view. it just seemed pre-written and no emotion, don't get me wrong I'm all for therapist but it just felt like this book fell short when reading the therapist position..
I did love the message and I did love the fact that he was giving out ways for people to seek therapy for anxiety.
Would I recommend this book not really however I would recommend the first couple of chapters...
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