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Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru
Finalist for the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award | Winner of the International Poe Festival’s Saturday “Visiter” Award
As seen in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the Baltimore Sun
When life’s got you down and things aren’t going your way, who better to turn to than Edgar Allan Poe? Discover how to say "nevermore" to your problems in this darkly comedic and refreshing self-help guide.
Of all the writers anywhere, Poe might be the least likely person you'd ever turn to for advice. His life was a complete dumpster he married his cousin; got fired from one job after another; constantly feuded with friends and rivals; and he was always broke. But that’s also precisely the point. Though Poe failed again and again, he also persevered.
Drawing deeply on his works and life, Catherine Baab-Muguira takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising direction in this darkly inspiring self-help book. Despite what you might think, Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect person to teach you to say "Nevermore, problems!" and show you how to use all the terrible situations, tough breaks, bad luck, and even your darkest emotions in novel and creative ways to make a name for yourself and carve out your own unique, notorious place in the world.
An inspirational tale for black sheep everywhere, Poe for Your Problems will teach you how to overcome life’s biggest challenges to succeed at work, love, and art—despite the odds and no matter your flaws.
As seen in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the Baltimore Sun
When life’s got you down and things aren’t going your way, who better to turn to than Edgar Allan Poe? Discover how to say "nevermore" to your problems in this darkly comedic and refreshing self-help guide.
Of all the writers anywhere, Poe might be the least likely person you'd ever turn to for advice. His life was a complete dumpster he married his cousin; got fired from one job after another; constantly feuded with friends and rivals; and he was always broke. But that’s also precisely the point. Though Poe failed again and again, he also persevered.
Drawing deeply on his works and life, Catherine Baab-Muguira takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising direction in this darkly inspiring self-help book. Despite what you might think, Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect person to teach you to say "Nevermore, problems!" and show you how to use all the terrible situations, tough breaks, bad luck, and even your darkest emotions in novel and creative ways to make a name for yourself and carve out your own unique, notorious place in the world.
An inspirational tale for black sheep everywhere, Poe for Your Problems will teach you how to overcome life’s biggest challenges to succeed at work, love, and art—despite the odds and no matter your flaws.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published September 7, 2021
174 people are currently reading
2634 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
July 2, 2021
What a unique take on Poe’s life, and what a unique book! Poe for Your Problems isn’t a biography of EAP, but then it kinda is. And it’s not really a self-help book that uses Poe’s worldview and life approach as a guide to self-actualization, but then it sorta is. Well-researched and informative, outrageous at times and deadly serious at others, Baab-Muguira’s book is a hard-to-categorize work that’s so much the better for not being exactly any one thing.
It’s a biography in a way, in the sense that it chronologically describes the most notable episodes of Poe’s life. It includes many facts and anecdotes that will be news to most readers, even if they’ve taken in a Poe biography or two. And it’s a self-help book in that it really does advise us readers to take Poe’s cues to enrich our lives. The catch about it being a personal improvement guide is that, as the subtitle suggests, the advice is everything any normal book of that type would strongly tell you not to do. It suggests that we do like Poe did and cling to our grievances and inner pains, rather than keep a chin up and see the bright side of life while waiting for a better day. It says we should do as EAP did at times and, if we feel under-recognized by the outer world, or just in desperate need of some pocket cash, make so much noise about ourselves that people have no choice but to pay attention to us; and if that means embellishing our life story or even totally inventing pieces of it, so be it. Strive for integrity above all else in creative pursuits? Bah! Sell the hell out instead! Got some issues with your boss at work? Belittle them rather than suck up. Is Baab-Muguira totally serious when writing all of this? That’s hard to pin down, and that elusiveness is some of what fuels the narrative. I can tell you that many times throughout the read, I found myself thinking, “Yeah, I should totally do that!”
With razor-sharp wit and an uncanny knack for dropping contemporary cultural references that place Poe and his ways in today’s world, Baab-Muguria weaves a singular web that could please both literary scholars and lay people who just want a good, smart laugh about human affairs. The author comes off as both a keenly intelligent and knowledgeable Poe specialist and a world-wise comedian. Readers familiar with Poe’s literary output, who don’t know much about his life, will learn a lot about the latter from this book. Those who know both the work and the personal saga will be tickled by this refreshingly surprising way of looking at both. Just about anyone can get a charge from taking in such a unique take on the startling life story of one of the great literary anti-heroes.
It’s a biography in a way, in the sense that it chronologically describes the most notable episodes of Poe’s life. It includes many facts and anecdotes that will be news to most readers, even if they’ve taken in a Poe biography or two. And it’s a self-help book in that it really does advise us readers to take Poe’s cues to enrich our lives. The catch about it being a personal improvement guide is that, as the subtitle suggests, the advice is everything any normal book of that type would strongly tell you not to do. It suggests that we do like Poe did and cling to our grievances and inner pains, rather than keep a chin up and see the bright side of life while waiting for a better day. It says we should do as EAP did at times and, if we feel under-recognized by the outer world, or just in desperate need of some pocket cash, make so much noise about ourselves that people have no choice but to pay attention to us; and if that means embellishing our life story or even totally inventing pieces of it, so be it. Strive for integrity above all else in creative pursuits? Bah! Sell the hell out instead! Got some issues with your boss at work? Belittle them rather than suck up. Is Baab-Muguira totally serious when writing all of this? That’s hard to pin down, and that elusiveness is some of what fuels the narrative. I can tell you that many times throughout the read, I found myself thinking, “Yeah, I should totally do that!”
With razor-sharp wit and an uncanny knack for dropping contemporary cultural references that place Poe and his ways in today’s world, Baab-Muguria weaves a singular web that could please both literary scholars and lay people who just want a good, smart laugh about human affairs. The author comes off as both a keenly intelligent and knowledgeable Poe specialist and a world-wise comedian. Readers familiar with Poe’s literary output, who don’t know much about his life, will learn a lot about the latter from this book. Those who know both the work and the personal saga will be tickled by this refreshingly surprising way of looking at both. Just about anyone can get a charge from taking in such a unique take on the startling life story of one of the great literary anti-heroes.
April 21, 2021
Way funnier than any other self-help I've seen before. Way more literary, and WAAAY darker. In fact, the darkness is the whole point. No matter how messed up I am, I can look at Poe's life and feel better. This book is sort of a satire of self-help that somehow, strangely, seems to work BETTER than most self-help at putting problems in perspective. It's fun all the way through to the bitter, drunken end.
November 27, 2021
Genius. It’s about time someone figured out that self-help isn’t exactly helpful when it’s coming from someone with perfect hair, glow in the dark veneers, and a ridiculously enormous speaker’s fee.
Yes, I already loved Poe - his story and his work - when I started reading. But if I had picked it up without admiring him, this book would would changed my perceptions.
Baab-Muguira’s writing style is personal, funny, and so relatable that when you finish reading, you feel like you’ve found another human on this planet who would understand you. The compelling style of the writing, combined with the insights into the sheer genius of a man so many have long considered a pathetic soul, makes this book one of a kind- in the very best way!
Yes, I already loved Poe - his story and his work - when I started reading. But if I had picked it up without admiring him, this book would would changed my perceptions.
Baab-Muguira’s writing style is personal, funny, and so relatable that when you finish reading, you feel like you’ve found another human on this planet who would understand you. The compelling style of the writing, combined with the insights into the sheer genius of a man so many have long considered a pathetic soul, makes this book one of a kind- in the very best way!
September 15, 2021
9/14/2021 4.5 stars, and one of my best books of the year so far. Quite shockingly good. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
9/15/2021 I honestly wasn't sure when I started reading this book where Catherine Baab-Muguira was going with it, and to be completely honest, I'm still not sure how to categorize this work now that I'm done reading it either. I do know that I finished reading this with stars in my eyes and hope in my heart, and if that isn't the point of any good self-help manual then I don't know what is.
Here's the thing: while the book allegedly seeks to have readers learn from the absolute dumpster fire that was Edgar Allan Poe's life, his life serves as about 50% model and 50% cautionary tale, as wittily depicted in this volume. Poe For Your Problems doesn't claim to be a biography of the famed author and poet but frankly is one of the best popular biographies I've ever read, humorous and honest and not above leaning in to 21st century mores and manners in examining the good, bad and absolutely cringe aspects of Poe's life. Ms Baab-Muguira shows how weirdly relatable his life is to the modern American reader's, whether it be in matters of education, career or romance. There are plenty of flaws and transgressions that she's quick to admonish -- like Poe marrying his 13 year-old cousin, ewwwwww -- but even more that she highlights as being full of lessons for today's reader. For a far more relatable anecdote in the field of romance, for example, Poe may not have been the first celebrity to do the equivalent of sliding into his fans' DMs to disastrous effect, but he certainly was not the last. So if you're gonna be messy on social media about your love life, don't feel too bad about it: people who should probably know better have been doing it since time immemorial, and everything still worked out okay eventually!
The thing is, PFYP feels a lot like a humorous biography with plenty of (gosh, it feels weird to say but here goes) morals for readers to learn from. The cautionary tales are easiest to nod along to, ofc: don't marry a thirteen year-old, don't drink to excess, don't gleefully burn every professional bridge while struggling to live off of bread and molasses. But it's the sideways lessons that are the most poignant, and which provide the chewiest food for thought. We don't need necessarily to be less neurotic, more together people in order to find happiness and success, Ms Baab-Muguira tells us. Sometimes, it's okay to lean into our less sociable, less decorous, less polite instincts in order to remain true to ourselves and leave behind something worthwhile.
And that was one of my biggest reservations going into this book: would the author claim that posterity is a much better legacy than a life well-lived? Would the best reward be something only accessible after death? I have no patience with such martyrdom, secular or otherwise, so I was impressed with the line Ms Baab-Muguira trod when acknowledging that while Poe is beloved now, his life then was a seeming string of often self-imposed disasters. She writes about this with compassion and insight, and urges readers not to despair of themselves either when making mistakes. Until we die, we can keep picking ourselves up and keep trying to be true to our ambitions, and even if our worth isn't acknowledged in our lifetimes, our legacies can still go on and make a huge difference in the world.
Further, she stresses that it's okay to make mistakes, okay to make enemies, okay to be a little petty and weird and just plain human. Life is full of grotesque challenges, but it's still possible to take all your reversals and heartaches and misfortunes and create something good and long-lasting from them. Fans of Poe will absolutely adore this book, but anyone who likes a little dark humor and whose self-esteem could use a nonconformist boost should absolutely read this, as well. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did but it is definitely on my list of Best Books of 2021.
Poe For Your Problems: Uncommon Advice From History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru by Catherine Baab-Muguira was published September 7 2021 by Running Press Adult and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
9/15/2021 I honestly wasn't sure when I started reading this book where Catherine Baab-Muguira was going with it, and to be completely honest, I'm still not sure how to categorize this work now that I'm done reading it either. I do know that I finished reading this with stars in my eyes and hope in my heart, and if that isn't the point of any good self-help manual then I don't know what is.
Here's the thing: while the book allegedly seeks to have readers learn from the absolute dumpster fire that was Edgar Allan Poe's life, his life serves as about 50% model and 50% cautionary tale, as wittily depicted in this volume. Poe For Your Problems doesn't claim to be a biography of the famed author and poet but frankly is one of the best popular biographies I've ever read, humorous and honest and not above leaning in to 21st century mores and manners in examining the good, bad and absolutely cringe aspects of Poe's life. Ms Baab-Muguira shows how weirdly relatable his life is to the modern American reader's, whether it be in matters of education, career or romance. There are plenty of flaws and transgressions that she's quick to admonish -- like Poe marrying his 13 year-old cousin, ewwwwww -- but even more that she highlights as being full of lessons for today's reader. For a far more relatable anecdote in the field of romance, for example, Poe may not have been the first celebrity to do the equivalent of sliding into his fans' DMs to disastrous effect, but he certainly was not the last. So if you're gonna be messy on social media about your love life, don't feel too bad about it: people who should probably know better have been doing it since time immemorial, and everything still worked out okay eventually!
The thing is, PFYP feels a lot like a humorous biography with plenty of (gosh, it feels weird to say but here goes) morals for readers to learn from. The cautionary tales are easiest to nod along to, ofc: don't marry a thirteen year-old, don't drink to excess, don't gleefully burn every professional bridge while struggling to live off of bread and molasses. But it's the sideways lessons that are the most poignant, and which provide the chewiest food for thought. We don't need necessarily to be less neurotic, more together people in order to find happiness and success, Ms Baab-Muguira tells us. Sometimes, it's okay to lean into our less sociable, less decorous, less polite instincts in order to remain true to ourselves and leave behind something worthwhile.
And that was one of my biggest reservations going into this book: would the author claim that posterity is a much better legacy than a life well-lived? Would the best reward be something only accessible after death? I have no patience with such martyrdom, secular or otherwise, so I was impressed with the line Ms Baab-Muguira trod when acknowledging that while Poe is beloved now, his life then was a seeming string of often self-imposed disasters. She writes about this with compassion and insight, and urges readers not to despair of themselves either when making mistakes. Until we die, we can keep picking ourselves up and keep trying to be true to our ambitions, and even if our worth isn't acknowledged in our lifetimes, our legacies can still go on and make a huge difference in the world.
Further, she stresses that it's okay to make mistakes, okay to make enemies, okay to be a little petty and weird and just plain human. Life is full of grotesque challenges, but it's still possible to take all your reversals and heartaches and misfortunes and create something good and long-lasting from them. Fans of Poe will absolutely adore this book, but anyone who likes a little dark humor and whose self-esteem could use a nonconformist boost should absolutely read this, as well. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did but it is definitely on my list of Best Books of 2021.
Poe For Your Problems: Uncommon Advice From History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru by Catherine Baab-Muguira was published September 7 2021 by Running Press Adult and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
November 17, 2021
Like Edgar Allan Poe himself, this book is “insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity,” in the words of the bereft master. I loved it. I’ve never read anything like it.
Catherine Baab-Muguira boils down Poe’s perspective as “embracing your overwhelming sense of doom . . . not getting over anything . . . but using your darkest emotions” to craft a place in the world.
Indeed, with this take, the author has crafted her own place in the world.
It’s reassuring, in a dark way, that Poe lived in a starkly divided society in America, in a state of irreparable poverty, where the prospects of making a fortune without having a fortune were bleak.
Poe’s story? It’s the story of America! Evermore!
In her deftly managed antithesis of the self-help book, Baab-Muguira recommends following Poe’s lead in embracing hubris: “Do not attempt to rein in your own bullshit. Buy wholeheartedly into your deepest self-delusions.”
In a subtle, oddly reasonable way, she crafts an argument for how Poe penetrated the attention economy for centuries by never behaving the way one should in polite society and became the ultimate “dark lifestyle guru.”
This author’s take is a great salve for those who have been told to “snap out of it,” or who are struggling under the weight of their rejections.
Really, this book is fabulous.
Catherine Baab-Muguira boils down Poe’s perspective as “embracing your overwhelming sense of doom . . . not getting over anything . . . but using your darkest emotions” to craft a place in the world.
Indeed, with this take, the author has crafted her own place in the world.
It’s reassuring, in a dark way, that Poe lived in a starkly divided society in America, in a state of irreparable poverty, where the prospects of making a fortune without having a fortune were bleak.
Poe’s story? It’s the story of America! Evermore!
In her deftly managed antithesis of the self-help book, Baab-Muguira recommends following Poe’s lead in embracing hubris: “Do not attempt to rein in your own bullshit. Buy wholeheartedly into your deepest self-delusions.”
In a subtle, oddly reasonable way, she crafts an argument for how Poe penetrated the attention economy for centuries by never behaving the way one should in polite society and became the ultimate “dark lifestyle guru.”
This author’s take is a great salve for those who have been told to “snap out of it,” or who are struggling under the weight of their rejections.
Really, this book is fabulous.
July 31, 2021
I loved this anti-self-help book so much I’m doing a Q&A with author Catherine Baab-Muguira on my Psychology Today blog, Field Guide to Families. Link to follow. This gem of a book is insightful and funny, lots of food for thought. Highly recommend.
November 7, 2025
This story was hilarious! To take Poe and turn his life on its head to make him appear as a model for the way to live the best life — with much satire. 😆😆 also loved the comedic drawings throughout.
September 24, 2021
This was such a funny read. I really liked it. Not just because it was full of humour and Poe puns, but also because the author had read a lot of biographies and I ended up learning a lot and thinking about some of the points she made. I mean, it's all tongue in cheek, and yet, as she points out, you do end up feeling like you're doing ok when you read about someone like Poe, whose life was so tragic and whose choices were pretty awful. And yet, he's remained highly successful and is still read today. So basically, it's a funny read and ends up being kind of uplifting. Almost unintentionally.
Recommended.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
Recommended.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
December 13, 2021
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s greatest writers. Yet his personal life was a disaster, marred by tragedy and setbacks — many of them self-inflicted. You might think he’d be an unlikely inspiration for a self-help book. I did too, until I read Poe for Your Problems.
Say “nevermore” to your troubles with this dark and delightfully cynical little book inspired by the life and the after-life of Edgar Allan Poe.
Here’s my full review: https://unsolicitedfeedback.blog/2021...
Say “nevermore” to your troubles with this dark and delightfully cynical little book inspired by the life and the after-life of Edgar Allan Poe.
Here’s my full review: https://unsolicitedfeedback.blog/2021...
October 7, 2021
This book was a complete surprise in how well-written and enjoyable it was after I randomly stumbled upon it. It really spoke to me on so many levels and made me feel not quite so alone or depressed about my own life.
This is truly satire worthy of even Mark Twain (much to Poe's chagrin this would be!).
Before I finished the last two chapters, I had already bought 2 more copies for my best friends. It���s a must-read.
This is truly satire worthy of even Mark Twain (much to Poe's chagrin this would be!).
Before I finished the last two chapters, I had already bought 2 more copies for my best friends. It���s a must-read.
November 16, 2021
A perfect blend of inspirational and informative, this satirical self help book succeeds in expertly skewing the burgeoning genre while providing insight into one of history's most misunderstood figures. I learned, I laughed most every page. Everyone is getting this for Christmas. Expertly done, by far one of the best books I've read this year. Please write another!
July 19, 2021
Exactly what you would expect a self-help book by Poe to be like - dark, sometimes comical and advice that you could actually use (perhaps)
September 13, 2021
A hoot! 😆
September 16, 2021
Love it! Read my review here!
https://jeannineburgdorf.substack.com...
https://jeannineburgdorf.substack.com...
February 21, 2022
Biography by way of humorous anti-self-help is such a neat concept.
July 22, 2022
Literally the best book I have ever read or written. One word: MIND BLOWING.
December 21, 2021
“It is true Poe’s life was a dumpster fire. That’s precisely the point. He dealt with horrendous circumstances. He had amply justifiable mental-health issues as well as an impossible personality, and he lived in an absurdly depressing era full of racism, sexism, classism, injustice, misfortune, poverty, disease, and death. You and I live in such an era, too. In a screwed-up world, why not look to the most screwed-up writer of all time for advice on navigating the daily dumpster fires of our own lives? Who better to inspire us as we struggle through our own absurdly depressing time?”
Edgar Allan Poe’s life was as fascinating and disturbing as his writing, and I really enjoyed this book. I waited forever to get my hands on a library copy, and it was well worth it. Darkly funny, it’s chock-full of details about Poe’s life and serves as a fascinating satire that — while chronicling Poe’s shortcomings, difficulties, and failures — celebrates him as someone who, both in life and in death, morphed his horrible circumstances into a legendary, mysterious persona buoyed by universally acclaimed works. The author puts it best: “Few writers have ever been as thoroughly hated, discredited, and reviled as Edgar Allan Poe. And it’s precisely this notoriety that makes him the towering, universally recognized cultural icon that he is today.” A unique, immersive, fascinating, and highly recommended read.
Edgar Allan Poe’s life was as fascinating and disturbing as his writing, and I really enjoyed this book. I waited forever to get my hands on a library copy, and it was well worth it. Darkly funny, it’s chock-full of details about Poe’s life and serves as a fascinating satire that — while chronicling Poe’s shortcomings, difficulties, and failures — celebrates him as someone who, both in life and in death, morphed his horrible circumstances into a legendary, mysterious persona buoyed by universally acclaimed works. The author puts it best: “Few writers have ever been as thoroughly hated, discredited, and reviled as Edgar Allan Poe. And it’s precisely this notoriety that makes him the towering, universally recognized cultural icon that he is today.” A unique, immersive, fascinating, and highly recommended read.
March 3, 2022
A most interesting view into the life of Edgar Allen Poe and what we can learn from him. The book is cast in the form of a self help genre and is therefore a bit tongue in cheek. I liked the book for its biographical aspect. Poe had a tough life, tougher than you and I, and he made his mark on the world. We still read him.
November 3, 2024
Hilarious, tragic, profound, & uplifting all at once. I've always liked Poe but now I like him all the more. I'm not one to read self-help type books but this is far from the typical one and is, in my estimation, far more likely to be useful than the average self-help book.
December 5, 2021
Poe-spicacious!
February 5, 2022
A solid 4-1/2 stars I'm more inclined to round up than down. I feel more encouraged and cheerful after reading this book than I ever have after finishing a "normal" self-help book. Delightful.
March 12, 2022
A cleverly written and fun read that's got good advice from the life of Poe, which is a journey in itself. I definitely recommend!
October 26, 2022
This was clever and fun to read. I think appeal can be toward those much familiar and those new to Poe. Demographic draw can be be wide but most of the vernacular would be much more geared toward a young generation, especially those afflicted by certain social dynamics and current economical downturn as experienced by many today. With its small size and accessible approach, would make a good gift for birthday or graduate.
The Story
I enjoyed reading the excepts and history, as well as context. It’s snappy. Speaks to the rebel. Creates a rebellion. Deepens that rebellion. Definitely doesn’t focus on lessons in temperance. That said, I don’t know if some of the lifestyle recommendations were as wild and reckless as the author made them out to be. Tries very hard to be counter culture which makes for an insightful, different aspect to melancholy, grief, loss, and terrible circumstance.
It includes poetry excerpts, explanation of references, and backstory so no reader, whether new or seasoned in Poe's work is left out.
Sort of bring glorification to pathology, not always in the way of strictly health or morality, but more just to be, again counter culture or very hyperbolic, and make the point in accordance and congruent with the point of the book even though in practical terms and bargaining, would probably say so otherwise I think.
Making different points, sometimes excellent advice, other purely for entertainment and exercise of the mind, often imposing agenda’s on Poe’s work, explores the different side of it and putting those terms into practice and what that might mean for your life. It takes a bit of discernment to know which would be which in this book as it is all captured into one.
How Poe’s may have paralleled with your life.
The Writing
Overall tone was silly, melodramatic, not all things to be taken as is or so seriously, some in a more satyrical way, at times getting you to a point to embrace and adapt the unusual, perhaps peculiar parts about yourself and your life circumstances. Sometimes at the expense of radical mindset and lifestyle.
A bit chattery at points, where I felt myself skimming over the play on words, sometimes and take it or leave it to modern day vernacular as I felt was sometimes clutter and distracting.
Much is themed around not getting caught type of mentality and avoiding the best of your conscience.
The only more real serious faced and cautiously approached points raised as less counter culture, oppositional, or satyrical style within the book was when it came to racism. Which was depicted with an entirely different tone, a difference in branding and consistency for the book as per main points as previously outlined, especially when compared to other social justice and personal issues. It didn't take that risk surprisingly, even for the more overall satyrical flavor to the book. I supposed this is where author draws the line for her writing personally, and provides more social commentary, a more self-reflective take on the real issue compared to most elsewhere in the book, which was a big turn in the book.
I liked the layout and organization of the book, as well as prefaces and conclusions.
Illustrations
The cartoon illustrations were cute and fun. A very nice touch.
I liked reading through the Addendum at the end
Blog post
The Story
I enjoyed reading the excepts and history, as well as context. It’s snappy. Speaks to the rebel. Creates a rebellion. Deepens that rebellion. Definitely doesn’t focus on lessons in temperance. That said, I don’t know if some of the lifestyle recommendations were as wild and reckless as the author made them out to be. Tries very hard to be counter culture which makes for an insightful, different aspect to melancholy, grief, loss, and terrible circumstance.
It includes poetry excerpts, explanation of references, and backstory so no reader, whether new or seasoned in Poe's work is left out.
Sort of bring glorification to pathology, not always in the way of strictly health or morality, but more just to be, again counter culture or very hyperbolic, and make the point in accordance and congruent with the point of the book even though in practical terms and bargaining, would probably say so otherwise I think.
Making different points, sometimes excellent advice, other purely for entertainment and exercise of the mind, often imposing agenda’s on Poe’s work, explores the different side of it and putting those terms into practice and what that might mean for your life. It takes a bit of discernment to know which would be which in this book as it is all captured into one.
How Poe’s may have paralleled with your life.
The Writing
Overall tone was silly, melodramatic, not all things to be taken as is or so seriously, some in a more satyrical way, at times getting you to a point to embrace and adapt the unusual, perhaps peculiar parts about yourself and your life circumstances. Sometimes at the expense of radical mindset and lifestyle.
A bit chattery at points, where I felt myself skimming over the play on words, sometimes and take it or leave it to modern day vernacular as I felt was sometimes clutter and distracting.
Much is themed around not getting caught type of mentality and avoiding the best of your conscience.
The only more real serious faced and cautiously approached points raised as less counter culture, oppositional, or satyrical style within the book was when it came to racism. Which was depicted with an entirely different tone, a difference in branding and consistency for the book as per main points as previously outlined, especially when compared to other social justice and personal issues. It didn't take that risk surprisingly, even for the more overall satyrical flavor to the book. I supposed this is where author draws the line for her writing personally, and provides more social commentary, a more self-reflective take on the real issue compared to most elsewhere in the book, which was a big turn in the book.
I liked the layout and organization of the book, as well as prefaces and conclusions.
Illustrations
The cartoon illustrations were cute and fun. A very nice touch.
I liked reading through the Addendum at the end
Blog post
March 27, 2022
Nope
I mean, I finished the book because of curiosity about Poe, and in that regard I gained some information that almost made it worth reading.
This book is full of awful cringe inducing Poe wordplay, including "Poe-gram" "Poe-spiration" and many others that are enough to make you want to burn the book. If I could go back in time I would try to convince this author to focus on writing a witty and interesting biography of Poe, rather than fabricating a self-help book based loosely on Poe's life and endless mistakes, misdeeds, and misery.
I've never read a biography about anyone where I ended up liking the subject less after reading than I had before, and I don't think that was the author's aim here. I certainly gained no inspiration for how to live my life and I don't recommend anyone else read this book with that purpose, though that's how it's marketed. Save yourself the trouble, read an actual helpful book about living and find another biography of Poe. This is a bad blend of the two and it does not work.
I mean, I finished the book because of curiosity about Poe, and in that regard I gained some information that almost made it worth reading.
This book is full of awful cringe inducing Poe wordplay, including "Poe-gram" "Poe-spiration" and many others that are enough to make you want to burn the book. If I could go back in time I would try to convince this author to focus on writing a witty and interesting biography of Poe, rather than fabricating a self-help book based loosely on Poe's life and endless mistakes, misdeeds, and misery.
I've never read a biography about anyone where I ended up liking the subject less after reading than I had before, and I don't think that was the author's aim here. I certainly gained no inspiration for how to live my life and I don't recommend anyone else read this book with that purpose, though that's how it's marketed. Save yourself the trouble, read an actual helpful book about living and find another biography of Poe. This is a bad blend of the two and it does not work.
August 15, 2023
Author Baab-Muguira had me laughing out loud with her satirical self-help book based on the life of Edgar Allen Poe. As she herself says, "Poe would seem to be the least likely you'd turn to for advice. After all, his own life was a dumpster fire." But advice she writes, and truths she finds, in Poe's life. Poe's perseverance drives him forever forward toward achieving success (that only came after his death). Poe's uncommonly high self-esteem and willingness to beg, cajole, cheat his way ahead comes off as ... admirable? For all the disappointment and despair the man faced, readers will see that he never lost hope. And if he hoped, maybe we can too. Delightful book!
October 23, 2024
3.5
I admit, I was hoping there was more of his actual works in here. I'd love to read a self-help book about accidentally burying your sister alive or trapping your enemy behind a brick wall. Instead, this was mostly about his life. While I am interested in a Poe biography (as I've read a few), it's not really what I was expecting. Nonetheless, this book was a wonderful satiric take on the self-help genre using the poster child for bad luck. I appreciated the nature of the satire while also holding a bit of truth in the unlikely tips as well.
Good read for fans of Poe.
I admit, I was hoping there was more of his actual works in here. I'd love to read a self-help book about accidentally burying your sister alive or trapping your enemy behind a brick wall. Instead, this was mostly about his life. While I am interested in a Poe biography (as I've read a few), it's not really what I was expecting. Nonetheless, this book was a wonderful satiric take on the self-help genre using the poster child for bad luck. I appreciated the nature of the satire while also holding a bit of truth in the unlikely tips as well.
Good read for fans of Poe.
July 10, 2022
Welp, that was a waste of a few hours. I kept waiting for something to emerge from all the tongue-in-cheek, and nothing ever did, so it was just a massive pile of tongue-in-cheek for the sake of tongue-in-cheek and without any kind of actual point. Eeeeeeesh.
August 3, 2023
“Life is hard and mostly awful.”
—Poe for Your Problems
—Poe for Your Problems
February 21, 2024
Poe For Your Problems is the last self-help book you'll ever read. Mostly because, after you finish reading it you'll be to bitter and stubborn to admit that you need help—self or otherwise.
Author Catherine Baab-Muguria tells the life story of Edgar Allan Poe in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. She relays each part of his life as "lessons." Finance, family, love, ect... At the end of each lesson is an exercise that will help you apply the covered element of Poe's life to your own life—so that you too may become immortally famous yet hated in your own time.
I seriously will never think about Edgar Allan Poe in the same way again. The man had a tragic backstory to rival any D&D character.
Author Catherine Baab-Muguria tells the life story of Edgar Allan Poe in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. She relays each part of his life as "lessons." Finance, family, love, ect... At the end of each lesson is an exercise that will help you apply the covered element of Poe's life to your own life—so that you too may become immortally famous yet hated in your own time.
I seriously will never think about Edgar Allan Poe in the same way again. The man had a tragic backstory to rival any D&D character.
August 12, 2025
Should I be concerned or overjoyed that I find this book rather inspiring? I suppose only time will tell.
An interesting take on Poe's life and how all he did and contributed--good and bad alike--can help you figure out your Poe-tential.
Definitely recommend.
An interesting take on Poe's life and how all he did and contributed--good and bad alike--can help you figure out your Poe-tential.
Definitely recommend.
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