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Hard NOT to like a book about being happier. :)

The author has big ambitions for this book. Not just a social change away from Materialism and towards Happiness as the "ultimate currency," but a worldwide Happiness Revolution. (I can see it now, rainbow flags, glitter bombs, and all sides with the same battle cry, "YAY!" Good luck with that.

Some of the book is a bit oversimplified and requires the occasional building an escape route out of painted-in corners. (OF COURSE there are times when we need to sacrifice today for the big payoff tomorrow... but ignore all that and let's get back to what I was saying about having your cake and eating it too...) The author is aware of the term "false dichotomy" but fails to see his own black and white vision when drawing hard lines between nihilists, hedonists, and "rat racers" where there should be gradient, Gaussian curves. I guess the intended audience is high-schoolish, not college.

And I don't recall a discussion of how my happiness and your happiness can collide and cause conflict.

As much as I'd like to take a star off for these flaws I can't. The rest of the book is just too good. There is an elegant definition of happiness here that you would tattoo on your forearm if it wasn't so long. And exercises, meditation and thought-experiments galore for you to examine what makes you happy now, what gives you purpose to work toward, and how to find your CALLING. (No bull, you want the C-Level mission statement for your life? Get it here. Guess what? It concerns what makes you happy...)

Read this book if you want to be happier.