Review of Fireproof Happiness

[Mona Alves]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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We live in a time of crisis and conflict, where rights are being taken away, natural disasters are occurring due to climate change and it's harder and more dangerous than ever to simply live and exist. It's a situation that leaves us helpless, but even amidst the bad times, it's possible for us to act and find strength.

That's the intention of the self-help book Fireproof Happiness by Dr. Randy Ross. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author seeks to teach us how to obtain hope, and with it, live better, more fulfilling and productive lives. The book is split into three parts, the first contextualizing what made the author want to write the book in the first place, as well as explaining his concept of hope, its principles and core beliefs. The other two chapters further explain how to deal with life's challenges and with oneself to be able to harness hope in practical ways.

What I really liked about this book was the author's sincerity. Throughout the whole read I could tell that, not only does the author believe in what he is saying, but also that he genuinely wants to help. There's a strong feeling of optimism and hope in each chapter of the book and the simple language, mixed with the use of scientific research, personal anecdotes, historical figures and pop culture references, the proper sourcing of the research and information given, as well as proper explanation of what the concepts used mean and how they differentiate from each other, allows any reader to easily engage and understand the ideas presented in the book as well as engage into further reading if they so desire.

Now, while the book is accessible to anyone, its main audience seems to be white, male, middle to upper class Americans. The vast majority of the examples of hopeful people used by the author fits that description, and at one point the author uses the outdated terminology of First/Third world countries, which only serves to create more division. I find that to be disappointing considering that the people that most could get value from the book are the people that diverge in some way from that profile, essentially making it feel like they're being excluded from being able to harness that hope.

Another issue I found was the presence of little quotes from the book in-between paragraphs, similar to what is done in written interviews. The problem was that these little paragraphs would often just quote the immediate paragraph after it, meaning that I found myself rereading the exact same passages in the same page. I also found them to impact the reader's ability to choose for themselves with parts they find important to highlight. The removal, or at the very least, reduction of these highlight paragraphs would really help the book flow better.

That said, these flaws don't affect the overall message and information of the book. It's very short and perfectly effective at what it is trying to achieve. For that, and everything else mentioned, I rate it a 4 out of 5. It's a simple and delightful read, that only needs some improvements to be fully effective, but that I recommend to anyone that needs some light to drive themselves out of darkness, especially those that fit into the specific profile of the book.

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Fireproof Happiness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

Good job! Great review! For your first review, this is really good. You show a lot of promise. When I look back at my first couple of reviews, I think, Ugh, I could have done a lot better. I'm looking forward to more reviews from you.

[Gerry Steen]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

---

We live in a time of crisis and conflict, where rights are being taken away, natural disasters are occurring due to climate change and it's harder and more dangerous than ever to simply live and exist. It's a situation that leaves us helpless, but even amidst the bad times, it's possible for us to act and find strength.

That's the intention of the self-help book Fireproof Happiness by Dr. Randy Ross. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author seeks to teach us how to obtain hope, and with it, live better, more fulfilling and productive lives. The book is split into three parts, the first contextualizing what made the author want to write the book in the first place, as well as explaining his concept of hope, its principles and core beliefs. The other two chapters further explain how to deal with life's challenges and with oneself to be able to harness hope in practical ways.

What I really liked about this book was the author's sincerity. Throughout the whole read I could tell that, not only does the author believe in what he is saying, but also that he genuinely wants to help. There's a strong feeling of optimism and hope in each chapter of the book and the simple language, mixed with the use of scientific research, personal anecdotes, historical figures and pop culture references, the proper sourcing of the research and information given, as well as proper explanation of what the concepts used mean and how they differentiate from each other, allows any reader to easily engage and understand the ideas presented in the book as well as engage into further reading if they so desire.

Now, while the book is accessible to anyone, its main audience seems to be white, male, middle to upper class Americans. The vast majority of the examples of hopeful people used by the author fits that description, and at one point the author uses the outdated terminology of First/Third world countries, which only serves to create more division. I find that to be disappointing considering that the people that most could get value from the book are the people that diverge in some way from that profile, essentially making it feel like they're being excluded from being able to harness that hope.

Another issue I found was the presence of little quotes from the book in-between paragraphs, similar to what is done in written interviews. The problem was that these little paragraphs would often just quote the immediate paragraph after it, meaning that I found myself rereading the exact same passages in the same page. I also found them to impact the reader's ability to choose for themselves with parts they find important to highlight. The removal, or at the very least, reduction of these highlight paragraphs would really help the book flow better.

That said, these flaws don't affect the overall message and information of the book. It's very short and perfectly effective at what it is trying to achieve. For that, and everything else mentioned, I rate it a 4 out of 5. It's a simple and delightful read, that only needs some improvements to be fully effective, but that I recommend to anyone that needs some light to drive themselves out of darkness, especially those that fit into the specific profile of the book.

******
Fireproof Happiness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

I agree with you that this book will inspire people to live better, more fulfilling and productive lives. I enjoyed the concept of active hope that the author introduced to replace passive hope. Congratulations! You wrote a thorough review! Welcome to the R-5 reviewer group!

[Anaïs Quesson]

Wow! What an impressive first review, Mona. It is a shame that this book seems written for a very specific target audience, I believe anyone could benefit from its advice. Well-done!

[Stephen Christopher 1]

I absolutely loved this book, and still practice what I learned from it today. And you know what, as a white middle class male (Australian,not American), I didn't realise that most of the examples were geared to me, I'm so sorry, that the author did this, and I'm so glad you pointed that out as it is a devising tactic that has no place in a book like this.

[Qwerty Writes]

You have a sweet, calm writing style. It was a delightful and charming read. I've read a couple of reviews of this book before and also had it show up on 'select' but I never looked into it deeply. I loved the author's attempt at spreading hope through the book. However, I don't fit into the middle-aged male category so I'll pass. Hah!
Keep writing those awesome reviews!
I'll read more of them...

[Julie Marie Basil]

I appreciate your thoroughness and sincerity in your review. I also enjoyed reading this one and agree that the inserted quotes were somewhat jarring and detracted from the reading experience. It may have been better in a print version of the book, as I also read the ebook format. Keep up the good work!

[Priya Murugesan]

You have analyzed the book and written a perfect honest review! Didn't expect the book to target a small audience. I think I will pass this book!

[Adrian Bouknight]

Mona Alves, thank you for this review! This sounds like a very timely book, given the impact of the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the variety of challenges that people faced, psychologically, during that time and into the future. This one sounds inspiring, I'll have to consider picking this one up!

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

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4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

We live in a time of crisis and conflict, where rights are being taken away, natural disasters are occurring due to climate change and it's harder and more dangerous than ever to simply live and exist. It's a situation that leaves us helpless, but even amidst the bad times, it's possible for us to act and find strength.

That's the intention of the self-help book Fireproof Happiness by Dr. Randy Ross. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author seeks to teach us how to obtain hope, and with it, live better, more fulfilling and productive lives. The book is split into three parts, the first contextualizing what made the author want to write the book in the first place, as well as explaining his concept of hope, its principles and core beliefs. The other two chapters further explain how to deal with life's challenges and with oneself to be able to harness hope in practical ways.

What I really liked about this book was the author's sincerity. Throughout the whole read I could tell that, not only does the author believe in what he is saying, but also that he genuinely wants to help. There's a strong feeling of optimism and hope in each chapter of the book and the simple language, mixed with the use of scientific research, personal anecdotes, historical figures and pop culture references, the proper sourcing of the research and information given, as well as proper explanation of what the concepts used mean and how they differentiate from each other, allows any reader to easily engage and understand the ideas presented in the book as well as engage into further reading if they so desire.

Now, while the book is accessible to anyone, its main audience seems to be white, male, middle to upper class Americans. The vast majority of the examples of hopeful people used by the author fits that description, and at one point the author uses the outdated terminology of First/Third world countries, which only serves to create more division. I find that to be disappointing considering that the people that most could get value from the book are the people that diverge in some way from that profile, essentially making it feel like they're being excluded from being able to harness that hope.

Another issue I found was the presence of little quotes from the book in-between paragraphs, similar to what is done in written interviews. The problem was that these little paragraphs would often just quote the immediate paragraph after it, meaning that I found myself rereading the exact same passages in the same page. I also found them to impact the reader's ability to choose for themselves with parts they find important to highlight. The removal, or at the very least, reduction of these highlight paragraphs would really help the book flow better.

That said, these flaws don't affect the overall message and information of the book. It's very short and perfectly effective at what it is trying to achieve. For that, and everything else mentioned, I rate it a 4 out of 5. It's a simple and delightful read, that only needs some improvements to be fully effective, but that I recommend to anyone that needs some light to drive themselves out of darkness, especially those that fit into the specific profile of the book.

******
Fireproof Happiness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Lene Lena]

Hi Mona!

Your insights into the challenges we face today resonate deeply, and it’s encouraging to see how the book aims to empower readers to find hope amidst adversity. The structured approach of contextualizing hope and providing practical strategies is essential for navigating life’s difficulties.