John Burke (18)

The Problem is YOU: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Conquer Self Defeating Behavior by John Burke is a practical, no-nonsense guide to identifying the patterns and mental blocks that hold us back. Burke combines psychological insight with actionable strategies, helping readers recognize self-sabotaging behaviors and replace them with constructive habits. The book balances theory and real-world exercises, making it accessible for anyone committed to personal growth. It's a motivational show more read that challenges you to take responsibility for your actions while offering concrete steps to achieve lasting change. Highly recommended for those ready to confront their inner obstacles and unlock their full potential. show less

This book might be the answer somebody's been waiting for, but unfortunately, it wasn't a light at the end of a dark tunnel for me personally. I was really hoping it would be helpful, but it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, and I found the writing to be a smidge juvenile and awkward here and there. I think a self-help book like this one is only useful to a person who needs help, as opposed to being a goldmine of information that can be accessed later. I'm thinking I should pick show more it up again when I'm not in a good place in my life. This book probably looks very different to an unhappy person- and right now I am quite satisfied with my life. I'll be reading this again later, and perhaps my review will change. The problem here is me, ironically enough. show less

In September, I registered as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer and this is one of the books I received: The Problem Is YOU: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Conquer Self Defeating Behavior by John Burke. But before I could peruse and review it, I had to first work through some of the self-defeating behaviors the author describes (namely, procrastination and perfectionism tendencies). Additionally, in order to use the table of contents and experience the book as a target audience member would, show more I performed the multistep process to have Calibre convert the coverless, unappealing PDF file the publisher sent me to an ePub (my preferred format) complete with a cover and metadata.
I agree with the positive and negative points made by the book’s first two Amazon.com reviewers and add - the book reads like a grade B college paper written by someone who’s performed a lit review but is no subject matter expert. It’s not a bad read and offers some good advice (see “Some Kudos”, below) but suffers from salient flaws (see “Some Criticism”, below).
SOME KUDOS:
• Manageable length – 34 1/2 pages (before the plugs for “other books you will enjoy) and readable in one sitting. That’s important, as procrastinators and self-defeaters might never finish a longer book.
• Availability in eBook format – useful reading on-the-go and for waiting on line or for others, and makes the book always available via mobile device so one can refer to it at will.
• Good overview and organization of self-defeating behaviors and attitudes, where they stem from, and their impacts
• Some good advice and generic strategies and tips
• The upshot - People who engage in self-defeating behaviors will recognize themselves in the book, pick up an insight here or there, and read a few frank statements (e.g., “In all cases, the decision to indulge in self-defeating behavior is a personal decision,” and “The ideal situation is for you to deal with your feelings, and if you realize that you can’t, then the wise thing to do is to seek therapy”).
SOME CRITICISM:
• I already complained about the review copy’s lack of cover and PDF format. Note to publisher: the big publishing houses don’t make that mistake.
• The book doesn’t dig as deeply as it should or back up its straight-talk, get-your-arse-in-gear title and blurb by providing sufficiently concrete action plans and referrals to more specific resources. That’s frustrating for readers who are ready to change but aren’t sure how.
• The previous point is not surprising, since the author presents no evidence of having expertise in this field, includes no citations to expert resources, and lacks endorsements by professionals in the field.
• The book begs to be professionally copyedited and content edited. show less

The Problem Is You written by John Burke identifies some patterns and character traits that may contribute to a lack of success. However, it does not offer concrete steps or actions the reader might employ to turn around their circumstances. The tone is more like a newsletter or blog rather than an actual book and appears to be a superficial view of the topic.