A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control―52 Week-by-Week Lessons Flexibound – May 14, 2019

This is an excellent book for someone new to Stoicism because it focuses on a gradual practice, introducing one Stoic concept per week for a year, developing a skill every day for a week before moving on and building upon what was learned in previous lessons. I think this is especially good for beginners who might be overwhelmed to have all Stoic ideas thrown at them at once. Also, it doesn't begin, as so many books on Stoicism do, with a long history of Stoicism. It gets right into the business of helping us be better, happier people. I especially appreciate the examples of peopleputting the ideas into practice to deal with specific problems.As one who has studied Stoicism for 20+ years, I still find much of use to me here. Since beginning the book, I have been more thoughtful on a daily basis. In the morning I think about what I want to improve on that I didn't do so well on yesterday, whenever I fail during the day, I immediately (sometimes in time to stop it), think to myself, "Hey, you can do better!", and at the end of the day I congratulate myself on any progress made and resolve to do better tomorrow.The authors have put much thought into making this a different kind of book, a practical book. It says it's a handbook for new Stoics, which I take to mean those new to Stoicism, but it could also mean "new" in the sense of "modern", as here you won't find talk of gods and other superstitions from two millenia ago. The book takes for granted a scientific view of the universe.I love trees as much as the next person, but I am really impressed by the quality of the flexibound book. It feels sturdier than most modern books, with the pages sewn in rather than glued. It's formatted in a style that makes reading easy, with blue highlights and even an attached ribbon place marker.The authors have done a great job of presenting a step by step guide for easing someone into Stoicism or deepening one's practice.

I appreciate this book on many levels. Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez present Stoic principles in an easy to understand, thoughtful, and instructional manner. I became interested in Stoicism a few years ago when life got very tough, as it sometimes does. I came to realize that I wanted a slightly different way of approaching life and stoicism seemed to fit like a hand in a glove. As with any subject, some books are dry, others are over-simplified and others overly complicated. This book gets it just right, in my opinion.The weekly exercises are useful since they move us from merely being aware of various principles to becoming Stoic practitioners. Some exercises are more useful than others, of course, and I appreciate that. After all, we’re all different and what is useful for some readers may not be as useful for others. The point is, all the bases are covered to benefit readers of various experiences and backgrounds.I appreciate the way the information is scaffolded and presented, facilitating paradigm shifts in a nearly effortless manor. The information presented is neither heavy nor overwhelming and it’s well-paced.If you’re like me, you may want to give the book a cursory read through, then go back and take it one lesson at a time, as intended. If you’re less curious than me, it will take you 52 weeks to finish this little gem of the book, but the wait is definitely worth it.

I now own 4 copies of this book. I’mhanding it to friends and family members. I’m in week 11(still got a long way to go). It’s unlike many self help books because it forces you from the beginning to start working on yourself. Some people might find the Greek/Latin translations hard so just ignore them. Since I’ve started this book I have a sense of inner happiness and feel more in control of my emotions and my speech. I think I’m going to buy more copies

I thought I could become a journaling type, but it’s just not in me. If you are like me, I strongly recommend “How to be a stoic” and the professor’s “Great Course” on Stoicism instead. Both are accessible and effective ways to learn the principles and history of Stoicism. Internalizing the concepts from these sources was much easier for me than trying to force myself to write in a diary every night. It is easy to add The Great Courses to one’s Prime account and watch his entertaining video lecture series that way.

I already knew about Massimo before he got into Stoicism because his popular science and skepticism outreach. So when someone as level headed and good humored as Dr. Pigliucci decided to experiment with and then dedicate himself to the practice of Stoicism I was all in. His website and previous book led me to this, the first book I've ever pre-ordered!I enjoy the many daily quotes and such I follow, listen to and read for Stoicism but I was looking for something deeper to really enhance my practice.This fits the bill perfectly. It has, as the title clues you in, WEEKLY exercises for you to think and work through so you have something to focus on and keep yourself on track. In the end, it looks like the book will help you to review what's worked or needs improvement for creating your own continuations of the lessons needed for the rest of your Stoic life.If you're serious about Stoicism, I can't recommend this enough.