Review of Fireproof Happiness

[Jenny DeSilva]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Fireproof Happiness" by Dr. Randy Ross.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Following the pandemic, reading Fireproof Happiness seemed like a natural choice. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
First, I would say that the topic of the book is timely and needed following 2020 and the subsequent years. The layout of the book is very digestible and easy to navigate.
The content is relatable, although does get quite wordy. The author uses many cliches, metaphors, and analogies. While most of the time this is to help the reader understand broad and abstract concepts, sometimes it does become repetitive.
The first two chapters could have been condensed into one, the information seemed very repetitive and I almost stopped reading all together. However, the ongoing chapters were more focused on their individual content.
I enjoyed how the author used psychological evaluations and studies to support his point.
I will say, the point of view was very clearly a white male point of view. Dr. Ross does not explore multicultural perspectives, the affect of adversity and ACEs on perspectives, or even the female perspective. It is obvious that Dr. Ross believes his writing and this book can be applied to anyone, however, it is a huge misstep to leave out these important perspectives and perhaps it is a blind-spot for him personally.
One thing I did not like was quoting himself in large text throughout the book. It seemed very self-serving and reminded me of magazines articles.
What I did enjoy was the layout and readability of the book. Dr. Ross included many concepts and many abstract ideas but also included actionable steps.
The book was well edited in terms of layout and grammar, which made it enjoyable to read regardless of the content.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who has faced any level of personal trauma, anyone with a multicultural background, or even to a female. I do think men would enjoy and could benefit from this book.

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Fireproof Happiness
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