What do you think?
Rate this book
In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
"A must read for those seeking inner peace."
"This book has a profound message, and the author breaks it down piece by piece."
"The authors positive and encouraging attitude inspired me to accept myself with all of my flaws and move forward more positively. There was nothing that I disliked about the book."
"A thought-provoking, non-fiction book demonstrating how everyone is united... Tears the reader apart and puts them back together again to have a happier life with more spiritual freedom."
"In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All" is a book about realizing the uplifting and unifying power of love, of true conscious love.
It shows that deep down we are truly—and literally—one and the same.
The book shows how the phrases "self-discipline" and "spiritual freedom" refer to the exact same thing. In the way the book uses the terms, to be "self-disciplined" is to be "free-spirited", and vice versa.
This is a book that uses a friendly, kind, loving, and humorous tone to tie together philosophy, spirituality, and self-help with long-standing universal truths from all ages, regions, and times.
It includes quotes from a diverse array of philosophers, artists, scientists, and spiritual teachers, including but not limited to, Albert Einstein, Alan Watts, Carl Jung, Osho, Sam Harris, Ram Dass, Meister Eckhart, Eckhart Tolle, Rabbi Tina Sobo, Friedrich Nietzsche, David J Mauro, Vincent Van Gogh, George Bernard Shaw, Socrates, Voltaire, Voltairine de Cleyre, Jesus, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Shakespeare, René Descartes, Rev. Dr. John Watson, and both a prisoner named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as well as the man who imprisoned him.
This book was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign run before the book was even written. It was inspired by the question, "What is the opposite of temptation?"
The book answers that question and so many more. Without preaching, the book provides a unifying, loving, and deeply compelling message that paves a path to inner peace, true happiness, and spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline). The reader is left empowered, motivated, and inspired.
As the opening letter in the book states, "Stay strong, my friends. There's beauty in the struggle. There's so much to overcome, but imagine what it could mean to overcome it."
"This book has a profound message, and the author breaks it down piece by piece."
"The authors positive and encouraging attitude inspired me to accept myself with all of my flaws and move forward more positively. There was nothing that I disliked about the book."
"A thought-provoking, non-fiction book demonstrating how everyone is united... Tears the reader apart and puts them back together again to have a happier life with more spiritual freedom."
"In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All" is a book about realizing the uplifting and unifying power of love, of true conscious love.
It shows that deep down we are truly—and literally—one and the same.
The book shows how the phrases "self-discipline" and "spiritual freedom" refer to the exact same thing. In the way the book uses the terms, to be "self-disciplined" is to be "free-spirited", and vice versa.
This is a book that uses a friendly, kind, loving, and humorous tone to tie together philosophy, spirituality, and self-help with long-standing universal truths from all ages, regions, and times.
It includes quotes from a diverse array of philosophers, artists, scientists, and spiritual teachers, including but not limited to, Albert Einstein, Alan Watts, Carl Jung, Osho, Sam Harris, Ram Dass, Meister Eckhart, Eckhart Tolle, Rabbi Tina Sobo, Friedrich Nietzsche, David J Mauro, Vincent Van Gogh, George Bernard Shaw, Socrates, Voltaire, Voltairine de Cleyre, Jesus, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Shakespeare, René Descartes, Rev. Dr. John Watson, and both a prisoner named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as well as the man who imprisoned him.
This book was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign run before the book was even written. It was inspired by the question, "What is the opposite of temptation?"
The book answers that question and so many more. Without preaching, the book provides a unifying, loving, and deeply compelling message that paves a path to inner peace, true happiness, and spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline). The reader is left empowered, motivated, and inspired.
As the opening letter in the book states, "Stay strong, my friends. There's beauty in the struggle. There's so much to overcome, but imagine what it could mean to overcome it."
- GenresNonfictionSelf Help
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2022
301 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
October 18, 2022
Please just don’t.
Onlinebookclub is owned by this person and he is offering 25 bucks to leave positive reviews. The money is not worth it, y’all. There is so much superficial stereotyping and a lack of research or empathy toward mental health issues. Offhand commentary on abuse and assault for no reason other than to have something to say. For a book that preaches a loss of ego, it sure did take quite the ego to write and publish that.
Please don’t read philosophy written by folks who also write “how to win at capitalism” books. And his name is Scott.
At this point, I’m laughing at myself for being this invested. But just… wow. Save your strength, friends.
Onlinebookclub is owned by this person and he is offering 25 bucks to leave positive reviews. The money is not worth it, y’all. There is so much superficial stereotyping and a lack of research or empathy toward mental health issues. Offhand commentary on abuse and assault for no reason other than to have something to say. For a book that preaches a loss of ego, it sure did take quite the ego to write and publish that.
Please don’t read philosophy written by folks who also write “how to win at capitalism” books. And his name is Scott.
At this point, I’m laughing at myself for being this invested. But just… wow. Save your strength, friends.
October 18, 2022
The whole time i was reading this book, i was just vividly picturing the author as one of those guys who shows up to a college party, high as a kite, preaching his self-important life philosophy to literally anyone who will listen. There’s no substance behind anything he’s saying, but he figures if he uses enough fancy-sounding words, maybe someone will finally think he’s interesting enough to go home with him. It’s like what all TV shows say to women who compete in beauty pageants; just say you want to help the starving children..that’ll win them over! This guy really thought he did something. Well he did do ‘something’ in a literal sense; he made a bunch of lofty claims about human nature with absolutely no evidence or even convincing language. A true philosopher, I’ll give him that.
There’s a weird bout in the middle of the book when it just shifts to a very outlandish motivational speech. He asserts over and over again that I am creative, artistic, loving, free-spirited, and so on. Life is worth living. All the live, laugh, love variations you can think of! I just thought it was cringy and a big reach.
The parts that were more about advice-giving still fell flat for me. It was a lot of “do this, do that, “just love yourself, just love everything” (actual quote). No seriously, Step 11 is “Just Love Everything and Everyone!” Whoa, I never thought of that! My world is now aligned, thanks. I also have preconceived prejudice against any advice that starts with “just” because I know it will always be a wild oversimplification.
The “don’ts” were equally grandiose, so there’s very little that can taken away from this book and applied tangibly to anyone’s life. Maybe I’m wrong about that — based on the other reviews I browsed, it seems like some people gained a lot from this…somehow.
Needless to say, I did not like this book, nor do I recommend it. After reading 10% of the book, it was still claiming its own intentions and talking about hypothetical children that we as a human race are failing to save. I was already over it (almost DNF’d several times) before we got into the other fluff and tangents of random college party guy philosophical garbage.
There’s a weird bout in the middle of the book when it just shifts to a very outlandish motivational speech. He asserts over and over again that I am creative, artistic, loving, free-spirited, and so on. Life is worth living. All the live, laugh, love variations you can think of! I just thought it was cringy and a big reach.
The parts that were more about advice-giving still fell flat for me. It was a lot of “do this, do that, “just love yourself, just love everything” (actual quote). No seriously, Step 11 is “Just Love Everything and Everyone!” Whoa, I never thought of that! My world is now aligned, thanks. I also have preconceived prejudice against any advice that starts with “just” because I know it will always be a wild oversimplification.
The “don’ts” were equally grandiose, so there’s very little that can taken away from this book and applied tangibly to anyone’s life. Maybe I’m wrong about that — based on the other reviews I browsed, it seems like some people gained a lot from this…somehow.
Needless to say, I did not like this book, nor do I recommend it. After reading 10% of the book, it was still claiming its own intentions and talking about hypothetical children that we as a human race are failing to save. I was already over it (almost DNF’d several times) before we got into the other fluff and tangents of random college party guy philosophical garbage.
October 28, 2022
I was really not impressed with this book. I read it because I had learned about a website that pays you to read certain books. I went ahead and picked this book but I really wish I wouldn't have. I had to force myself to read this one and it was just filled with a lot of issues. There were a lot of sentences that were run-on, and a few made up words. The thing that got me the most though was the fact that there were so many repetitive phrases. I wish I would have counted how many times the author used the phrase "you, the real you". It was extremely distracting to have so much repetition. Next, there seemed to be a lot of moments where the author made one point, and wrote about that but then immediately contradicted that point and then proceeded to write in length about that contradiction, as if he hadn't just previously stated something different. At the end of the book I didn't feel enlightened or inspired. I was just glad that I was done with the book.
October 7, 2022
To begin with, the book sounds very honest, down-to-earth and heartfelt.
Apparently, the author himself has had sufficient life experience to share with his readers.
And again, what he actually learned from life is essential. Whether he learned and continues doing so and if that makes him feel better, a better person or not after all is important indeed. Important for him, yes, but should be valuable to all of us, humans, undoubtedly.
Human nature is intented to develop and move forward per se, both physiologically and intellectually.
The whole book reads like an inner dialogue or even debate with oneself, others, notions, ideas etc.
Acquiring self-consciousness, being realistic and true to ourselves is actually a powerful message, by all means.
The realization of relativity of the whole world or universe and people, as part of it, could be liberating as well.
Moreover, love and sympathy or rather empathy are incredible driving forces - no matter how much we underestimate them.
Compliments on elaborating on some famous philosophical works and authors in that respect.
What I particularly liked was the clear explanation of 'meaning'. It is not the words themselves that count, it is their meaning. Words are just a communication tool.
Hence, the metaphors, including animals, were quite illustrative and entertaining.
It is no wonder people often cannot remember the exact wording of a saying, for example, but they vividly remember its meaning.
In fact, the author rightly suggests that we are not that different at a more fundamental level. Something sustained by ancient philosophers. Of course that does not contradict our uniqueness by any means.
In a way, modern technology merely proves that to be the case - especially when considering the social media phenomenon. Communication without borders - either positive or negative, depending on our individual 'meaning' and perception, of course.
One more thing, Mr. Hughes presumably urges us to try and understand other people's point of view. Here that does not mean having a split personality, if I could use the term humorously. No, we need to be aware that we are all connected, for better or worse. The principle/law of cause and effect or causality.
Last but not least, understanding the fine balance between destiny and personal choice is something people should learn and acknowledge throughout their lifetime - in order to achieve harmony and gratitude. Otherwise, we tend to witness so much disappointment, anger, dissatisfaction etc.
Overall, clear and empowering, even inspirational, but also challenging and at times an uneasy read.
In conclusion, this book is very inclusive, talking about women's rights, equality, among other concepts.
Recommended to all thinking AND feeling people.
For all the above-mentioned reasons, plus the impeccable editing, I am compelled to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Anything less would be unjustified.
If I had to think about something that I did not like about this book, maybe I could, but that would be really subjective - everyone has their own style and way of expression.
'Live and let live.'
Apparently, the author himself has had sufficient life experience to share with his readers.
And again, what he actually learned from life is essential. Whether he learned and continues doing so and if that makes him feel better, a better person or not after all is important indeed. Important for him, yes, but should be valuable to all of us, humans, undoubtedly.
Human nature is intented to develop and move forward per se, both physiologically and intellectually.
The whole book reads like an inner dialogue or even debate with oneself, others, notions, ideas etc.
Acquiring self-consciousness, being realistic and true to ourselves is actually a powerful message, by all means.
The realization of relativity of the whole world or universe and people, as part of it, could be liberating as well.
Moreover, love and sympathy or rather empathy are incredible driving forces - no matter how much we underestimate them.
Compliments on elaborating on some famous philosophical works and authors in that respect.
What I particularly liked was the clear explanation of 'meaning'. It is not the words themselves that count, it is their meaning. Words are just a communication tool.
Hence, the metaphors, including animals, were quite illustrative and entertaining.
It is no wonder people often cannot remember the exact wording of a saying, for example, but they vividly remember its meaning.
In fact, the author rightly suggests that we are not that different at a more fundamental level. Something sustained by ancient philosophers. Of course that does not contradict our uniqueness by any means.
In a way, modern technology merely proves that to be the case - especially when considering the social media phenomenon. Communication without borders - either positive or negative, depending on our individual 'meaning' and perception, of course.
One more thing, Mr. Hughes presumably urges us to try and understand other people's point of view. Here that does not mean having a split personality, if I could use the term humorously. No, we need to be aware that we are all connected, for better or worse. The principle/law of cause and effect or causality.
Last but not least, understanding the fine balance between destiny and personal choice is something people should learn and acknowledge throughout their lifetime - in order to achieve harmony and gratitude. Otherwise, we tend to witness so much disappointment, anger, dissatisfaction etc.
Overall, clear and empowering, even inspirational, but also challenging and at times an uneasy read.
In conclusion, this book is very inclusive, talking about women's rights, equality, among other concepts.
Recommended to all thinking AND feeling people.
For all the above-mentioned reasons, plus the impeccable editing, I am compelled to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Anything less would be unjustified.
If I had to think about something that I did not like about this book, maybe I could, but that would be really subjective - everyone has their own style and way of expression.
'Live and let live.'
November 2, 2022
Don’t bother with this
Let me start by saying, DNF. The only reason this book is a “bestseller” is because Online Book Club is paying people $25 to read and review the book, but they require you to purchase the book yourself. Just reading halfway in, it’s apparent that the author must be a slender pale fellow sporting a man bun who believes he is far more enlightened than the rest of us. He drones on about starving children for quite some time and then tells us the reason we don’t feed starving children is because we hate ourselves. I was waiting for the point of what was said, but it seems he writes as Kamala Harris speaks - lots of words but no substance. Oh, I almost forgot! He also calls us Humpty Dumpty. There are many pages explaining that we are not human, not our bodies, blah, blah, blah. Then, he tells us he can “put us back together again.” My Humpty Dumpty, nonhuman, self-hating self just couldn’t read anymore. I would suggest this wet behind the ears pompous windbag live some more life and actually experience suffering before lecturing others about it. And the next time he writes a book, God help us if that happens, don’t pay people to buy your book. Any enlightened person would want to earn the bestseller badge based on the content and quality of the book itself.
Let me start by saying, DNF. The only reason this book is a “bestseller” is because Online Book Club is paying people $25 to read and review the book, but they require you to purchase the book yourself. Just reading halfway in, it’s apparent that the author must be a slender pale fellow sporting a man bun who believes he is far more enlightened than the rest of us. He drones on about starving children for quite some time and then tells us the reason we don’t feed starving children is because we hate ourselves. I was waiting for the point of what was said, but it seems he writes as Kamala Harris speaks - lots of words but no substance. Oh, I almost forgot! He also calls us Humpty Dumpty. There are many pages explaining that we are not human, not our bodies, blah, blah, blah. Then, he tells us he can “put us back together again.” My Humpty Dumpty, nonhuman, self-hating self just couldn’t read anymore. I would suggest this wet behind the ears pompous windbag live some more life and actually experience suffering before lecturing others about it. And the next time he writes a book, God help us if that happens, don’t pay people to buy your book. Any enlightened person would want to earn the bestseller badge based on the content and quality of the book itself.
April 6, 2023
In It Together is a tough read. The author clearly has good intentions but, in my opinion, get's lost in the philosophy and allegory that they try to use to illustrate their points.
Ultimately I would struggle to recommend this book to anyone, as it currently is.
Update:
I recently read and reviewed the 2nd edition hardcover version. The short version - sadly no improvement. For the full review head to https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
Ultimately I would struggle to recommend this book to anyone, as it currently is.
Update:
I recently read and reviewed the 2nd edition hardcover version. The short version - sadly no improvement. For the full review head to https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
December 1, 2022
This book is a joke and so is the website this author owns. I followed guidelines for the review quite well, but I was informed my review needed to "be written in good English." If you can see the issue in that comment, you have a better grasp than their so called editors.
They couldn't comprehend a sentence and said it had an unclear meaning, when I explained in the next sentence fully.
They just don't want to pay out their reviewers. The book is a load of flavored shit honestly. It's self serving prose and not even that well done. This will send anyone with self confidence issues into a spiral of second guessing their existence. Simple as that. Highly recommend you return it ASAP.
They couldn't comprehend a sentence and said it had an unclear meaning, when I explained in the next sentence fully.
They just don't want to pay out their reviewers. The book is a load of flavored shit honestly. It's self serving prose and not even that well done. This will send anyone with self confidence issues into a spiral of second guessing their existence. Simple as that. Highly recommend you return it ASAP.
August 22, 2023
Update... I finally received payment for my review. So, at least he stuck to his agreement.
The author of this book thinks very highly of himself. It was like reading the ramblings of a "bro" who just took philosophy 101 and is completely baked. I was offered a paid review through onlinebookclub.com, but because my review was negative it was denied.
This book is a pseudo-philosophical book delivering an unoriginal message of unity and connection through shared humanity. We are all connected in this universe, so we should always be kind to one another. At the core, we are not our outward appearances. We are all humans with a spirit that longs to make real connections with others.
The author's message is not a new one, but he finds inventive - and often wordy ways to reexplain this familiar concept chapter after chapter. I felt most times that the chapters were disjointed, rambling, and almost completely incomprehensible.
I can't imagine a professional editor would have published this without a lot of changes. It seemed that the author would get stuck on a word, overusing it throughout each chapter. I distinctly remember the word “conscious” being used in one sentence at least five times. The book is very redundant, taking many pages to explain a simple thought.
This book was difficult for me to get through as I had trouble following along with the non-material concepts, and found the writing to be ineffectual and vapid.
The author of this book thinks very highly of himself. It was like reading the ramblings of a "bro" who just took philosophy 101 and is completely baked. I was offered a paid review through onlinebookclub.com, but because my review was negative it was denied.
This book is a pseudo-philosophical book delivering an unoriginal message of unity and connection through shared humanity. We are all connected in this universe, so we should always be kind to one another. At the core, we are not our outward appearances. We are all humans with a spirit that longs to make real connections with others.
The author's message is not a new one, but he finds inventive - and often wordy ways to reexplain this familiar concept chapter after chapter. I felt most times that the chapters were disjointed, rambling, and almost completely incomprehensible.
I can't imagine a professional editor would have published this without a lot of changes. It seemed that the author would get stuck on a word, overusing it throughout each chapter. I distinctly remember the word “conscious” being used in one sentence at least five times. The book is very redundant, taking many pages to explain a simple thought.
This book was difficult for me to get through as I had trouble following along with the non-material concepts, and found the writing to be ineffectual and vapid.
October 15, 2022
Could not finish this book. Felt like all this book is, is one persons thoughts about many things in the world. Jumps around some with where they are going with their train of thought and I just personally couldn’t read that. I gave it 40 pages and had to give up.
January 9, 2023
First off the absolute absurdity that the owner of the website paying people to review it is also the author of this book is shady as f***. Getting people to buy a terrible book, waste their money, and THEN pay them back is super shady. Especially considering the fact that it's one of the worst books I've ever read. Moby Dick was easier to read when I was in 7th grade than this book is as an adult. The writing is frustratingly repetitive. It's difficult to follow and understand because each sentence is a mile long. There are near constant contradictions. Not to mention all of the terrible opinions the author tries to convince you he doesn't have ,but he clearly does because he continues to bring them. The writing feels self absorbed and as if they have a superiority complex. The concept of the book is great. The execution is terrible. I can normally read a book this size in a few hours. This book is so badly written that I've been torturing myself for two weeks trying to get through it, and I've barely made it half way. I read the entire Harry Potter series in one week and learned more about human decency and helping others and learning to love oneself than I have in two weeks of this one book. I can't believe anyone could possibly think this book is worth the $26 I wasted on it. I would rather spend that on football tickets, and for me that says a lot. The only thing this book helped me accomplish was cleaning my house. I chose to fold three loads of laundry to avoid reading it. I chose to do dishes instead of read it. I chose to deep clean my microwave instead of read it. And I hate cleaning, but I hate this book more.
October 15, 2022
Not what I expected.
I though that this would be enlightening and had hope that I'm not along in the "Beautiful Struggle". Maybe the title just didnt match the book's meaning? This was very repetitive. Saying the same thing over and over loses the reader. Stating an idea / opinion in one chapter then contradicting the same idea later in the book is confusing. I felt the need to go back and make sure I was reading it correctly. At times one idea would start then change to something completely different. If the author cut down on the repetitive ideas that fill multiple pages and instead get to the point it may be easier to follow. Stick to the same ideas. Don't change your view halfway through.
I though that this would be enlightening and had hope that I'm not along in the "Beautiful Struggle". Maybe the title just didnt match the book's meaning? This was very repetitive. Saying the same thing over and over loses the reader. Stating an idea / opinion in one chapter then contradicting the same idea later in the book is confusing. I felt the need to go back and make sure I was reading it correctly. At times one idea would start then change to something completely different. If the author cut down on the repetitive ideas that fill multiple pages and instead get to the point it may be easier to follow. Stick to the same ideas. Don't change your view halfway through.
October 28, 2022
Ok but writing is overly wordy and confusing.
One and a half stars. In it together has some interesting thoughts but a lot of the message gets bogged down in all of the excessively wordy sentences. Too many large words in overly complicated sentences. Seems to jump around a lot also in his thought process. Loved all of the quotes he included. That was my favorite thing about the book.
One and a half stars. In it together has some interesting thoughts but a lot of the message gets bogged down in all of the excessively wordy sentences. Too many large words in overly complicated sentences. Seems to jump around a lot also in his thought process. Loved all of the quotes he included. That was my favorite thing about the book.
March 21, 2023
It’s like the author read a pamphlet on ‘eastern philosophy’—not even a great pamphlet at that—got access to a computer and typed out a bunch of words loosely related to that pamphlet in a fever dream, and then found out that “self-publishing” was a thing and thought, “Wow, I am a real live author now!”.
Spend your time reading a book that has something to offer to the world, not this watered-down nonsense pasted together haphazardly.
Spend your time reading a book that has something to offer to the world, not this watered-down nonsense pasted together haphazardly.
December 21, 2022
Not impressed with this book at all. The title makes it sound like it will be a positive, up-lifting book but in general I found it pretty negative. It was also very difficult to read with long, run-on sentences. The author promised to pay anyone who read and reviewed it but I could not finish it.
October 27, 2022
Dnf- I did not enjoy this
January 5, 2023
i was gonna give it a 2 to be nice but fuck you and your website scott. your book is shit
March 26, 2024
CW: Eating disorders, body hatred, and fat phobia; Sexual assault; Violence
Purportedly about “the unifying power of true conscious love”, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes’ short but wordy book is an entry level guide to the important philosophical/psychological concept of mindfulness. Hughes proposes universal truths about human consciousness, commonly understood as the “soul” or one’s genuine self. He asks readers to ditch our addictions to comfort and to stop believing the lies our egos tell us in favor of genuine enlightenment and momentary perpetual peace. Sounds nice enough. But In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All was a struggle for me to read.
From page one, Hughes nearly lost me by introducing and immediately minimizing the history of marital rape in America: “Despite living in a time and place where marital rape was legal, which was the USA only a little over a century ago…”. Hughes fails to conceptualize the broader reality, that marital rape was actually legal until just thirty years ago.
The first two thirds of his book are stuffed abundantly with the problematic terms “obesity/morbid obesity”, and the repeated idea of “overeating to death”. (Hughes probably loves that movie The Whale .) Hughes frosts and sprinkles page after page with negative stereotypes, many involving cupcakes. How much “obese” people love cupcakes, how much they struggle with the urge to cram cupcakes into their faces. I don’t know what “tasty food make stomach go brrrrr” means, maybe we’re supposed to laugh, but Hughes is very serious. On page 109, he equates physical hunger with giving in to temptation and advises ignoring the feelings and thoughts of this biological hunger as a means of personal growth. “We learn under the harsh tutorship of temptation every time we feel hunger but choose not to eat.” On page 120, “If you believe you have to eat just because you are hungry, you will eat when you are hungry”.
Hunger, Hughes wants you to believe, is false. Further, It can even be immoral. On page 142, Hughes actually compares feeling hunger to wishing death upon a stranger: “Consider a situation in which your human mind suddenly has a false thought such as, ‘I am hungry, so I must eat,’ or ‘That guy who just cut me off on the highway is an asshole who deserves to die a slow painful death’.
For this second edition, I wish Hughes had reconsidered his fatphobia and made major changes to the text, but aside from the content, the generic cover belongs among similarly designed pamphlets in any waiting room. It’s also strange that Scott Hughes chose such a pretentious pen name as “Eckhart Aurelius”, at one point goofily quoting Eckhart Tolle without mentioning the appropriation.
This book has more problems than solutions. Readers who've struggled with eating disorders may choose to avoid it.
Purportedly about “the unifying power of true conscious love”, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes’ short but wordy book is an entry level guide to the important philosophical/psychological concept of mindfulness. Hughes proposes universal truths about human consciousness, commonly understood as the “soul” or one’s genuine self. He asks readers to ditch our addictions to comfort and to stop believing the lies our egos tell us in favor of genuine enlightenment and momentary perpetual peace. Sounds nice enough. But In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All was a struggle for me to read.
From page one, Hughes nearly lost me by introducing and immediately minimizing the history of marital rape in America: “Despite living in a time and place where marital rape was legal, which was the USA only a little over a century ago…”. Hughes fails to conceptualize the broader reality, that marital rape was actually legal until just thirty years ago.
The first two thirds of his book are stuffed abundantly with the problematic terms “obesity/morbid obesity”, and the repeated idea of “overeating to death”. (Hughes probably loves that movie The Whale .) Hughes frosts and sprinkles page after page with negative stereotypes, many involving cupcakes. How much “obese” people love cupcakes, how much they struggle with the urge to cram cupcakes into their faces. I don’t know what “tasty food make stomach go brrrrr” means, maybe we’re supposed to laugh, but Hughes is very serious. On page 109, he equates physical hunger with giving in to temptation and advises ignoring the feelings and thoughts of this biological hunger as a means of personal growth. “We learn under the harsh tutorship of temptation every time we feel hunger but choose not to eat.” On page 120, “If you believe you have to eat just because you are hungry, you will eat when you are hungry”.
Hunger, Hughes wants you to believe, is false. Further, It can even be immoral. On page 142, Hughes actually compares feeling hunger to wishing death upon a stranger: “Consider a situation in which your human mind suddenly has a false thought such as, ‘I am hungry, so I must eat,’ or ‘That guy who just cut me off on the highway is an asshole who deserves to die a slow painful death’.
For this second edition, I wish Hughes had reconsidered his fatphobia and made major changes to the text, but aside from the content, the generic cover belongs among similarly designed pamphlets in any waiting room. It’s also strange that Scott Hughes chose such a pretentious pen name as “Eckhart Aurelius”, at one point goofily quoting Eckhart Tolle without mentioning the appropriation.
This book has more problems than solutions. Readers who've struggled with eating disorders may choose to avoid it.
January 27, 2023
In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All attempts to combine spirituality, and philosophy to analyze the questions surrounding human sympathy and empathy. It reads like an inner dialogue on topics such as the conscious, being realistic, and the relativity of people in the world. The author discusses empathy and love as driving forces and motivations.
The author’s good intentions in this book are plain. It is clear that the author is heartfelt and seeks to have a positive attitude and encourages his readers to do the same. However, that is generally where the positives come to an end.
Despite noble intentions, I found the tone and cadence of the writing to be grating. There is no clear trajectory for the narrative. There is no beginning or end, but rather a winding, circuitous trip through the author’s inner dialogue. Often times the same words were used too frequently. For example, the use of the word “truth”, when repeated frequently on one page, can lose its efficacy and impact. There are run-on sentences that are so lengthy and winding that I lost the train of thought that started the sentence. It also comes off a little cliché to continue on a theme of “truth”, especially in today’s political environment. It rings as somewhat of a republican right-wing dog whistle, though I am obviously unsure if that is the author’s intention. Further, this book seems to be an almost satirical take on a self-help book. The over-use of rhetorical questions, for example, sticks out as an almost, but not quite, mockery of the self-help genre. It is clear that the author is not well versed in empathy or mental health issues as most of his arguments are not nuanced. My largest gripe with this book is that you spend time reading two hundred plus pages of jargon and buzzwords and come out the other end as though you haven’t actually internalized any information.
I have rated In It Together one star. I believe the author’s intentions in writing this book are noble. However, the narration is often winding and duplicative, leaving the reader wondering what it is that they’ve actually learned from the text. This is a harmless, yet not very productive read. This may be a read for those looking to dip their toes into the self-help genre who would like the point hammered into them several times- it is not for those seeking subtlety or nuance. For philosophy or self-help, I’d look elsewhere.
The author’s good intentions in this book are plain. It is clear that the author is heartfelt and seeks to have a positive attitude and encourages his readers to do the same. However, that is generally where the positives come to an end.
Despite noble intentions, I found the tone and cadence of the writing to be grating. There is no clear trajectory for the narrative. There is no beginning or end, but rather a winding, circuitous trip through the author’s inner dialogue. Often times the same words were used too frequently. For example, the use of the word “truth”, when repeated frequently on one page, can lose its efficacy and impact. There are run-on sentences that are so lengthy and winding that I lost the train of thought that started the sentence. It also comes off a little cliché to continue on a theme of “truth”, especially in today’s political environment. It rings as somewhat of a republican right-wing dog whistle, though I am obviously unsure if that is the author’s intention. Further, this book seems to be an almost satirical take on a self-help book. The over-use of rhetorical questions, for example, sticks out as an almost, but not quite, mockery of the self-help genre. It is clear that the author is not well versed in empathy or mental health issues as most of his arguments are not nuanced. My largest gripe with this book is that you spend time reading two hundred plus pages of jargon and buzzwords and come out the other end as though you haven’t actually internalized any information.
I have rated In It Together one star. I believe the author’s intentions in writing this book are noble. However, the narration is often winding and duplicative, leaving the reader wondering what it is that they’ve actually learned from the text. This is a harmless, yet not very productive read. This may be a read for those looking to dip their toes into the self-help genre who would like the point hammered into them several times- it is not for those seeking subtlety or nuance. For philosophy or self-help, I’d look elsewhere.
October 24, 2022
This book - offered by OnlineBookClub.com (ONLY because it is written by the website's founder, Scott Hughes) - is a trap, plain and simple! The mission of Scott is not to enlighten but instead to part book influencers/reviewers from their money. Let me explain. OnlineBookClub.com is a site that claims to pay reviewers for their honest opinions on the books they showcase. This was the one selected for October. The claim was that reviewers would receive $25 just for reviewing this book. The only thing that was required was the upfront purchase of the book for $2.99.
Okay. Sounds easy enough.
But, no. After spending my money and TIME, not to mention jumping through the millions of hoops and requirements to write a review of over 400 words about a book that lacked real substance, the site rejected my review and informed me that there wouldn't be a payout because I had not completed my part of the deal. AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! Apparently this is their M.O.
It's not the fact that I'm out $3 (even though it is annoying to lose even a penny on this garble) or that I wasted the better part of a day reading a book that neither informed nor entertained (because it didn't....it REALLY didn't!), but it's mostly the fact that I got suckered by a guy named Scott with no credentials. Sheesh! I mean, who even is this guy?!? I should have known better! I guess that's why he offered this title under his pretentious pen name: Eckhart Aurelius Hughes.
Bottom line: this book is garbage. Pure garbage. Just leave it where it belongs....in obscurity!
Okay. Sounds easy enough.
But, no. After spending my money and TIME, not to mention jumping through the millions of hoops and requirements to write a review of over 400 words about a book that lacked real substance, the site rejected my review and informed me that there wouldn't be a payout because I had not completed my part of the deal. AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! Apparently this is their M.O.
It's not the fact that I'm out $3 (even though it is annoying to lose even a penny on this garble) or that I wasted the better part of a day reading a book that neither informed nor entertained (because it didn't....it REALLY didn't!), but it's mostly the fact that I got suckered by a guy named Scott with no credentials. Sheesh! I mean, who even is this guy?!? I should have known better! I guess that's why he offered this title under his pretentious pen name: Eckhart Aurelius Hughes.
Bottom line: this book is garbage. Pure garbage. Just leave it where it belongs....in obscurity!
January 8, 2023
I tried with this book.
I just got sick of him always breaking it down to having you be nothing.
Take away your meat suit, take away your job.
I get that but it was drilled in my head. I can get a point and feel moved without telling me how horrible I am.
I DNF .
I just got sick of him always breaking it down to having you be nothing.
Take away your meat suit, take away your job.
I get that but it was drilled in my head. I can get a point and feel moved without telling me how horrible I am.
I DNF .
February 7, 2023
Horrible. It took all I had to finish this book. Imagine, if you will, a good looking young man very "involved" in his fraternity just took one philosophy class. This is his book. Absolutely filled with nonsense repetition and no actual advice/guidance for anything. Reader beware!
October 28, 2022
*Book provided by OnlineBookClub.org
October 31, 2022
No
I did not like this at all. This book is a waste of time. We all struggle why make a book about it. Absolutely useless.
I did not like this at all. This book is a waste of time. We all struggle why make a book about it. Absolutely useless.
December 7, 2022
Who else got an email about reviewing this book with a 5/5 to get a free hard cover copy? 💀
February 14, 2025
This book made me reflect—or perhaps I should say, face my own conclusions about society. It created a thought-provoking perspective on human nature, categorizing people into three distinct groups.
The first group consists of the ignorant, those who don’t take the time to reflect on the world around them. They focus solely on themselves and their close circle, easily manipulated by media and politics. It’s frustrating to see how many fall into this category, but I’ll leave it at that to avoid rambling.
Then there are those who are aware of the world’s cruelty—those who feel the pain of starving children and the devastation of war. These individuals have their own opinions and share them, resisting manipulation from others. However, it’s disheartening to see some in this group choose materialism over compassion, prioritizing expensive items over helping those in need, embodying a kind of hypocrisy that is hard to swallow. Simply closing their eyes and pretending. It’s a forse category for me.
The third category to aspire to: individuals who are free and at peace with themselves. They understand that before changing the world, one must change within. They find true happiness and inner peace, yet I can’t help but feel a sense of futility.
The truth is that the world’s balance relies on suffering—starving children, wars, and greed are ingrained in our society. It feels like a harsh reality that only a few can break free from, and even then, their impact may be minimal. Our innate desires for more, for envy, and for competition seem to be an inescapable part of human nature, like a virus we were born with.
The world needs its balance, and nothing will ever change. Nothing. Even if we convince ourselves that we can make a difference, we really can’t. People struggle to unite; we lack true leaders and often give up too easily. To many distractions have been created to care for the world. The majority show little desire to dedicate their lives to helping others or working for a greater good. Those who do often face scorn from society, treated as outcasts rather than heroes.
We’ve fought for so long for free speech, yet now we find ourselves walking on eggshells. You have to be cautious about what you say or do because everything—absolutely everything—will be met with criticism. It’s disheartening to see how the very freedom we sought can feel so constricting at times.
In conclusion, I’ll admit that I’m simply angry at the world. Perhaps I’ve said a lot of nonsense, and I’m sure it will be criticized. But expressing an opinion shouldn’t be a crime—not yet, at least.
The first group consists of the ignorant, those who don’t take the time to reflect on the world around them. They focus solely on themselves and their close circle, easily manipulated by media and politics. It’s frustrating to see how many fall into this category, but I’ll leave it at that to avoid rambling.
Then there are those who are aware of the world’s cruelty—those who feel the pain of starving children and the devastation of war. These individuals have their own opinions and share them, resisting manipulation from others. However, it’s disheartening to see some in this group choose materialism over compassion, prioritizing expensive items over helping those in need, embodying a kind of hypocrisy that is hard to swallow. Simply closing their eyes and pretending. It’s a forse category for me.
The third category to aspire to: individuals who are free and at peace with themselves. They understand that before changing the world, one must change within. They find true happiness and inner peace, yet I can’t help but feel a sense of futility.
The truth is that the world’s balance relies on suffering—starving children, wars, and greed are ingrained in our society. It feels like a harsh reality that only a few can break free from, and even then, their impact may be minimal. Our innate desires for more, for envy, and for competition seem to be an inescapable part of human nature, like a virus we were born with.
The world needs its balance, and nothing will ever change. Nothing. Even if we convince ourselves that we can make a difference, we really can’t. People struggle to unite; we lack true leaders and often give up too easily. To many distractions have been created to care for the world. The majority show little desire to dedicate their lives to helping others or working for a greater good. Those who do often face scorn from society, treated as outcasts rather than heroes.
We’ve fought for so long for free speech, yet now we find ourselves walking on eggshells. You have to be cautious about what you say or do because everything—absolutely everything—will be met with criticism. It’s disheartening to see how the very freedom we sought can feel so constricting at times.
In conclusion, I’ll admit that I’m simply angry at the world. Perhaps I’ve said a lot of nonsense, and I’m sure it will be criticized. But expressing an opinion shouldn’t be a crime—not yet, at least.
December 6, 2022
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes has written a thought provoking tome that challenges us to reflect not only on how we treat other, but how we treat ourselves. I read this book not knowing what a difference it would make on my life. The second half of the book I really got into and encouraged a lot of my family and friends to read it. The second half takes off and really delves into often pausing to think about what I had just read. I recommend this book for everyone.
April 4, 2023
This publisher works with a site called “Online Book Club”. Through the book club I was invited to purchase a hardback version of this book (which had to be purchased on Barnes & Noble’s website) and then to submit a review to the book club. In exchange for my purchase and review, I was told I would be reimbursed for the book and receive a bonus of cash. I submitted my review after purchasing the book there and have never been paid. They later offered reviewers additional cash incentives to leave public reviews. I believe this author or publisher is inflating the look of success for this book by using this scam site to get people to buy the book and leave reviews.
As for my opinion about the book, here is the review I gave them for which I have received no money:
I neither recommend “In It Together”, nor do I suggest you should not read it. My feeling is very neutral, and as such I have given a rating of only three stars.
While the book holds a number of profound and lovely quotes from respected people throughout generations, and Eckhart Aurelius Hughes himself uses a number of useful and sometimes beautiful metaphors, I am unsure if some people will enjoy drudging through the repetition of certain topics to find the gems. Personally, I grew tired of reading about “philosophical zombies”, “conscious love” and “timeless spaceless spacetime”.
I also found some of the concepts, with the author’s choice of recapitulation as a teaching method, to be so nebulous it detracted from the fundamental purpose of the whole topic - “how we are all connected”. And though I deeply appreciate the author’s efforts to include people of all religions (including people without a religious view), I sometimes found the time spent dancing around topics to ensure no one is offended to be quite cumbersome.
To me there were entire chapters which could have been left out of the book entirely, as the sentence structure left me feeling I was in a dizzying circular maze. The point of those circles seemed to me, once again, to help ensure no one with a differing viewpoint might be offended by anything the author says. At times I wondered if the author wrote the book and then a team of lawyers told him he couldn’t say “this” or “that” and so he added chapters which may have otherwise looked liked disclaimers in a legal contract.
I have no desire for anyone to be offended and cannot imagine taking on this topic, which I feel is primarily about human spirituality, and being able to navigate through it without trepidation over the possibility of someone being wounded. I therefore had an empathetic feeling for the author’s conundrum. However, I feel the topic would have been better served by addressing the “disclaimers” at the forefront and then skipping the extra chapters and extra paragraphs constantly telling the reader, “don’t be offended, because I’m not talking about you personally or your religious views”.
Overall I believe if a person is willing to spend the time reading through the entire book while overlooking the unending reiteration of the same thoughts, they will probably find some light bestowing sentences worth noting which could have a far-reaching impact on how they see themselves and the world. If for this reason alone I would suggest reading this book. Others who have reviewed this book have felt it has helped them immensely and this may be a good reason to devote a few precious hours with a fine comb to reap some small benefits.
As for my opinion about the book, here is the review I gave them for which I have received no money:
I neither recommend “In It Together”, nor do I suggest you should not read it. My feeling is very neutral, and as such I have given a rating of only three stars.
While the book holds a number of profound and lovely quotes from respected people throughout generations, and Eckhart Aurelius Hughes himself uses a number of useful and sometimes beautiful metaphors, I am unsure if some people will enjoy drudging through the repetition of certain topics to find the gems. Personally, I grew tired of reading about “philosophical zombies”, “conscious love” and “timeless spaceless spacetime”.
I also found some of the concepts, with the author’s choice of recapitulation as a teaching method, to be so nebulous it detracted from the fundamental purpose of the whole topic - “how we are all connected”. And though I deeply appreciate the author’s efforts to include people of all religions (including people without a religious view), I sometimes found the time spent dancing around topics to ensure no one is offended to be quite cumbersome.
To me there were entire chapters which could have been left out of the book entirely, as the sentence structure left me feeling I was in a dizzying circular maze. The point of those circles seemed to me, once again, to help ensure no one with a differing viewpoint might be offended by anything the author says. At times I wondered if the author wrote the book and then a team of lawyers told him he couldn’t say “this” or “that” and so he added chapters which may have otherwise looked liked disclaimers in a legal contract.
I have no desire for anyone to be offended and cannot imagine taking on this topic, which I feel is primarily about human spirituality, and being able to navigate through it without trepidation over the possibility of someone being wounded. I therefore had an empathetic feeling for the author’s conundrum. However, I feel the topic would have been better served by addressing the “disclaimers” at the forefront and then skipping the extra chapters and extra paragraphs constantly telling the reader, “don’t be offended, because I’m not talking about you personally or your religious views”.
Overall I believe if a person is willing to spend the time reading through the entire book while overlooking the unending reiteration of the same thoughts, they will probably find some light bestowing sentences worth noting which could have a far-reaching impact on how they see themselves and the world. If for this reason alone I would suggest reading this book. Others who have reviewed this book have felt it has helped them immensely and this may be a good reason to devote a few precious hours with a fine comb to reap some small benefits.
October 15, 2022
I hate this. Hughes is surely a nice man. Many will love this book. It's a lovely, positive, message loaded with good advice. It's that loaded part that stops me. Hughes apparently admires the Tao Te Ching, a book that is a model of brevity and conciseness, yet he uses the talk radio approach throughout his writing. He tells us something, then tells it again, and again, and again. The chapter ends and he tells us the same thing a couple of chapters later. I struggled through, but I made it.
The humorous and some say, blasphemous spiritual leader, Bubba Free John, gave us the Garbage and the Goddess sermon. In it, he spoke of how he'd eagerly go visit his guru and his guru would hand him a sack of garbage and BFJ would take it home and lovingly shelve it. It was a long time before he realized that most of what was on the shelves was garbage or at least unimportant and that the garbage was screening him from truth and reality. I'm sorry to say that In It Together> could be edited way down, way down, and would then be appealing to many more readers and seekers.
The humorous and some say, blasphemous spiritual leader, Bubba Free John, gave us the Garbage and the Goddess sermon. In it, he spoke of how he'd eagerly go visit his guru and his guru would hand him a sack of garbage and BFJ would take it home and lovingly shelve it. It was a long time before he realized that most of what was on the shelves was garbage or at least unimportant and that the garbage was screening him from truth and reality. I'm sorry to say that In It Together> could be edited way down, way down, and would then be appealing to many more readers and seekers.
December 26, 2022
After reading the wonderfully humane
Notes on Grief
and The Minimalists' latest book, Hughes (not his real name) isn't doing himself any favors with me.
In It Together is all the downsides of the self-help industry wrapped up into a book. Hughes cites examples we've all heard and read somewhere else before, all while none-too-subtly talking you down before talking you up to see the "correct way" of seeing life. The part that stings is that there are some nuggets of genuine helpfulness and well-meaning in here—such as the universal good-all's "Don't be a jerk." "Be respectful of others." "Life is hard for everyone."—but they're a thin curtain for his self-aggrandizing pulpit.
On top of that, there are other one star reviews on here that state rather candidly that Hughes is more-or-less conning people into purchasing his book for a profit through the OnlineBookClub website that he runs. If he doesn't run the website, then just the sordid nature of not delivering on his promised compensation for someone else's time and money for an honest review, positive or negative, is a rather disingenuous business practice.
In other words, Hughes wants people to buy his book so he can make money. Not to really help people. And that attitude is reflected at times throughout the text. Yeah... that's not going to fly well with me.
I paid for my copy of this book, and I sorely wished I hadn't. Next time I will make an attempt to read the blurb of a book before I'm suckered into buying it. If I had, I would have found all of the non-attributed quotations surrounding the front and back covers rather suspect.
In It Together is all the downsides of the self-help industry wrapped up into a book. Hughes cites examples we've all heard and read somewhere else before, all while none-too-subtly talking you down before talking you up to see the "correct way" of seeing life. The part that stings is that there are some nuggets of genuine helpfulness and well-meaning in here—such as the universal good-all's "Don't be a jerk." "Be respectful of others." "Life is hard for everyone."—but they're a thin curtain for his self-aggrandizing pulpit.
On top of that, there are other one star reviews on here that state rather candidly that Hughes is more-or-less conning people into purchasing his book for a profit through the OnlineBookClub website that he runs. If he doesn't run the website, then just the sordid nature of not delivering on his promised compensation for someone else's time and money for an honest review, positive or negative, is a rather disingenuous business practice.
In other words, Hughes wants people to buy his book so he can make money. Not to really help people. And that attitude is reflected at times throughout the text. Yeah... that's not going to fly well with me.
I paid for my copy of this book, and I sorely wished I hadn't. Next time I will make an attempt to read the blurb of a book before I'm suckered into buying it. If I had, I would have found all of the non-attributed quotations surrounding the front and back covers rather suspect.
December 17, 2022
Wordy and repetitive, this book made it difficult to get to the positive parts without swimming through all the extra unnecessary fluff. Although the message was very positive, it seemed almost contrived. The book tells about letting go of our ego, yet it reads as quite egotistic and self centered at times. It left me confused and sad. I was looking forward to a message to help me and my son, who suffers from depression, get through this very difficult season in his life. I decided to read it first, before handing it to my son. I will not be asking him to read it. Also, the word "consciousness" is over played. Far too many cliches were used in this writing. If this book would have had a good editor, the book would have been a pamphlet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews