The Truth About You- Book Review

I recently received the book “The Truth About You” by Marcus Buckingham in the mail to review. When I first opened the package, I looked at my husband and said, “Oh, I’m not so sure about this one.” Well, I was pleasantly surprised. This little book has some great information in it. My brother-in-law is a junior in high school who is still unsure of what he wants to do when he graduates. As I read this book, I was keeping him in mind. This book seemed to be helpful for someone like him who needs a little bit of encouragement to pursue his dreams and seek out a job that would be suited to his strengths. I actually gave my brother-in-law a copy of this book for Christmas, so we shall see if he likes it and finds it helpful.
The book is more of an activity package than a typical self-help book. There is a DVD in the front cover. As you begin reading the book, the author encourages you to watch the DVD and then use the book to follow after. The book itself has some great tips in it. At times I felt the author was using cliche phrases to get his point across. I do think that a high school graduate or perhaps a college grad who is looking for a new job can benefit from the tips he has in his book. I told my husband that I learned a thing or two and will remember some of the ideas presented in the book. My favorite part is the little notebook in the back of the book that is geared towards helping the reader discover his strengths and weaknesses (or likes and dislikes). The notebook reminds me of something out of the children’s tv show “Blues Clues”, but it seems to be practical and an innovative idea.
Overall, I liked this book. It could have had more substance, but it was refreshing to pick up a book and learn practical principles right away as I read. Perhaps more people in our younger generation will be successful in finding the right job because of this book.