Luvvie Ajayi

I like the author's audacity in asserting that she has jurisdiction, she has all the information she needs, and she's judging you! I enjoy her verbal playfulness. I don't think she ever runs out of fresh and funny ways to say something is terrible. But, as funny as individual bits are, all together they are too same-samey to make a book.

Also, although Ajayi acknowledges that judging opens you up to being judged, she spends a lot of time deflecting judgement. For example, she opens the show more chapter on how terrible it is that we make people hate themselves for being fat with a story of how some random man asked her, "Aren't you like a hundred pounds?" I see what you did there, Luvvie, and I'm judging you. show less

In a similar vein to Samantha Irby's essays about contemporary society and culture, but not as frank or cringe-inducing (in a good way!), and not as funny, at least to me. I'm not sorry I listened to it, but I don't think I'll remember all that much about it, though there were some standout entries, especially the one about feminism.

I knew as soon as Luvvie Ajayi Jones announced the release of her new book, Professional Troublemaker, I had to get my hands on it. Any book subtitled The Fear-Fighting Manual is for me! I preordered the book as soon as I could, and I cleared my calendar to read it.

As always, Luvvie never disappoints.

Dedicated to the memory of her grandmother (and the “good trouble” she caused), Professional Troublemaker shares truth bombs about how we must move through our fears to accomplish what we show more want in life. The book is divided into three parts:

1. Be – how to work through the internal stuff so you can move forward, despite your fears
2. Say – how to advocate for yourself and others using your voice, even if it trembles
3. Do – how to do the things that scare the crap out of you

Luvvie sprinkles in stories about her grandmother, as well as her own life, to illustrate how one can bust through fear (and why it’s important to do so). I think you’ll love Luvvie’s humorous approach, side-eyes, and tell-it-like-it-is style. I know I did.

My big takeaways:

#1: “We fear having too much hope.”

Right there on page 43, Luvvie dropped a truth bomb, which felt like a 2x4 to my forehead: “When we are afraid of having too much hope, we’re actually afraid of being disappointed.”

Damn, she’s right.

I don’t dream big enough. Or at least I didn’t use to. Now I dream of being a New York Times bestselling author. I am not focused on disappointment; I am focused on my dream. For even if I never make that bestseller status, I know I tried. And that’s worth the journey.

#2: You will fuck up on your journey.

I don’t like to fail. I have come a long way in reframing failures as lessons, but a big part of me still fears failure.

Luvvie shared a story of how she failed miserably – and very publicly – and how this one failure stopped her from growing and sharing her gifts. I appreciate her story because it’s one I fear I may go through. Well, guess what? It’s inevitable I will fail loudly too, so instead of avoiding it, maybe I should just accept it and move on.

How about you? Can you stop avoiding failure? Can you accept that you will make mistakes on your journey?

How Professional Troublemaker relates to entrepreneurs:

Luvvie is an entrepreneur, and every lesson in this book will help entrepreneurs. Professional Troublemaker can be your primer on how to do things, despite the fear. Because if you want to succeed in your business, you will have to do things that scare the shit out of you. If you need someone to cheer you on and to show you how it’s done, grab Professional Troublemaker. show less

I was suckered in by the book teaser and excited to read and win a review copy of this book.

Important note right off the bat: the book's author, Luvvie Ajayi, is a blogger - I had never heard of her and had never (and still haven't) seen her blog. To me, she was an entirely fresh voice, but to anyone familiar with her, I'm not sure if it's fresh content or rewarmed from stuff she's already served up for her blog audience.

This is not a book that I'd typically buy and I quite liked it.

It's a show more cultural critique and it's snippy and smart - Luvvie has a strong POV and an interesting and distinct voice. I found myself nodding along as several of the things that bring out her side-eye, draw a huge eyeroll and raise my blood pressure too!

Some of the situations/types of people she calls out that I particularly relate to: those people who so badly need validation from their social media "friends" and followers, the herd mentality and lack of chivalry and manners of airline passengers and the the rise of Twitter as a news source and subsequent decline of critical thought, journalistic credibility and accuracy.

These are common annoyances and they're keenly observed and fun.

She takes a different tone, edgy social humorist on more important topics such as homophobia, racism and rape culture. These have more bite to them - and they should. Those are terrible and systematic problems within the US. While I didn't always agree with everything she says, she speaks to them authentically and through the lens of her experience. Her perspective is smart, well thought out and she's an interesting voice in the chorus on some really serious societal issues.

I also appreciate that she's firm on where she stands when it wouldn't necessarily be obvious or guessed. For example, she professes she's a Christian, yet writes in a way that doesn't seem to be 'closed' to people of other beliefs and faiths or those who aren't believers or spiritual at all.

What is jarring to me about the book is that it doesn't always know what it wants to be. It starts out talking about rude behavior in airports and ends up addressing racism (as an example). However, her writing style and voice make her better suited to credibly addressing the former than the latter.

Sometimes, she gets a little too cutesy and it detracts from what could be a real zinger of a point. There's only so much "smizes," "summagoats," and "dambs" that this reader could take. I appreciate a good inventive invectives as much as anyone, but enough is enough. If you have to footnote to explain your use of "damb" versus "damn," stop it already.

Some of her asides made me laugh out loud - "...tasted like the tears of my disappointed ancestors" or "my bae Netflix." She's clever and I appreciate when her humor is intelligent and barbed. However, like some comics that get desperate for audience reaction, she sometimes becomes a little too desperate for a laugh. She's so original of a voice, that you don't want to see/read her going for lowbrow bits for a shock value reaction...and yet she does, a few times (talking about you, bit on anal bleach).

All in all, this book is worth a TBR pile add and recommended as a smart, original and sharply-humored diatribe on some of the trials, tribulations and serious illnesses of modern culture.

I suspect it could be even better as an audiobook. show less