How To Be Fine: What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books

Building on the premise of their podcast By the Book, in which they fully immersed themselves in different self-help books, then shared what works and doesn’t, coauthors Greenberg and Meinzer report on their findings. Comedian Greenberg wanted to believe in the promises made in the various how-tos, while Meinzer, former director of nonfiction for Panoply Media, was more skeptical. They present their findings in a mix of memoir and prescriptive handbook-style writing, discussing advice that worked—committing acts of kindness, decluttering, engaging in positive self-talk—and ideas that didn’t—waking up early, meditating, and defining people by gender. Greenberg and Meinzer offer up universal foibles with a sense of humor and encourage readers to explore an array of avenues to self-improvement.