And the Pursuit of Awesomeness - Advice on Life

As a member of the target audience for this book (midway through my teenage years), I really disliked this book. I picked the book out for myself to help me improve my life/mindset, and I was very disappointed.

The Good: The book starts off okay, and Shipp's voice is likable and mildly funny. He's not too pretentious or boring. Also, some of his advice is pretty sound and it gave me a relatively new perspective on how to identify sources of problems in my life.

The Bad: Then the book gets really annoying and repetitive. When he started talking about puppies, pirates, robots, zombies, etc. I felt like I was being talked-down-to. His ideas were very rudimentary. His advice was not very helpful. Also, I found the section on dating mildly sexist: Shipp basically says that boys should do whatever is necessary to get the hot girl, while girls can't really take initiative and must hope that some boy will notice them and start flirting.

Overall: I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're really interested in it, check it out from a library first instead of purchasing.

I'm seventeen years old, a senior in high school, and I picked up this book, because, you know, my life goal is to take over the world. I'm really loved this book and it's pushed to me to be more serious about my future, the choices that I make, and who I choose to surround myself with.

My favorite part about that book is that it deals with topics in a lighthearted and funny yet wise manner. I devoured the book in about six days and have since bought copies for almost all my friends. I better start saving money for college now :)

I've been having some trouble connecting with my 14 year old son this year, as a parent I believe we all go through these issues. Plus I remember how much it sucked being a teenager. A friend of mine recommend this book to me. So, I purchased it and decided to read it with my son....he agreed. It's working, it has opened up some great lines of communication! I tried in the past to talk about social issues, girls, sex, drugs, media, money, while I think he as listened this book has provided a different outlook. Josh does a great job breaking it down to teenage terms. I also must say I have applied some of these tactics to my life as well. Being a 35 year old father to a teenager is tuff, because they think your stupid, or you don't know what your talking about. My son once told me I had no "street cred" like we live in the ghetto or he's part of some gang, we live in a golf course community, he has his own bathroom! He has no street cred or does he understand what it's like to go without. He is consumed with celebrates, rappers, and martial stuff. This book has shed some light to these issues. If your struggleing with your teenager I recommend this book, if your NOT struggleing with your teenager I recommend this book. Buy this book! Really try to understand what Josh is talking about. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

I bought this book after listening Josh Shipp at a long live mentoring conference in Oklahoma City. I have a 12 year old step son who I got the book signed for, and where I gave it to him he was super excited. He has been reading it diligently and has even asked me if he can start a bible study so he can share this book with other young men his age. I am highly recommending this book for anyone that wants to empower the leader in your tween/teen.

I loved how this book broke down negative influences on a teenager into zombies, vampires, robots, and more. I'm tempted to read it aloud to my son and apologize for being a robot in his life. Even I, a middle-aged woman, was inspired to keep working to fulfill my dreams. Buy extra copies for your kids' friends.

You know those self-help books which drone on about being yourself and realizing your dreams, but tell you nothing practical about how to do that? This isn't one of them. The pages are full of solid, wise, practical advice that both adults and teens could learn a lot from. The section about credit card debt made me think about how many adults fall into credit traps. It's an issue that often gets overlooked when giving teens life advice, in favor of the dangers of addictive drugs and unsafe sex. Josh has a great way of talking to teens that treats them with respect, and is honest about his own mistakes, and the lessons he's learned from them over the years. If you're a teen, work with teens, or just an adult still trying to catch up on things you wish you'd known where you were a teen, give this book a try.