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The Up Side of Down

Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success
Sep 02, 2014undereli rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For the record, I did not request this book from the library and knew anything about the author, Megan McArdle, before reading it. I found it on the Library’s “must read; staff recommended” shelves when I was looking for something to read. As someone who has endured a couple years of unemployment and underemployment, and who is treated for and gone to counseling for depression, the title jumped out as something I could find valuable. I am so happy I read this! I was absolutely floored, time-and-again, by Ms McArdle’s message. It is a no-holds-barred, cut through the b.s. look at what’s behind trends and statistics; it unmasks how important such beliefs as hard work, destiny, and how predictable events will be actually are – how “in control” we believe we are and how much control we have over our destiny. It is a book I recommend anyone and everyone read. Why? Because it’s about life lessons, not unlike the talk a mother or father gives their children as they prepare for adulthood, marriage, or a major life-change. The writing is simple and easy to follow, yet tight and focused. It’s down-to-earth. The examples of life-events are stories we can all relate to. Not even Ms McArdle herself is immune. At times she uses her own story to highlight how we can all be victims of random events, and how “bad luck,” if you will, took a hard toll on her own well-being. What I’ve written is only what appealed to me most in this book. There’s a lot about the ups and downs of the United States’ and Europe’s economies and the safety nets provided when things get bad in the job market. I’m sure there are other things I haven’t mentioned that will appeal to different audiences. Going back to my opening statements, I suppose why I liked this book so much is because it highlights how level the playing field is for everyone. We can all succumb to negative events. But it also provides hope that we are all capable of coming back from the abyss. What’s not to like about that? It’s incredible for a book of reasonable length to pull this off, and I doff my cap to the author for doing it so well.