Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Miscellaneous => Chatterbox => The AC Book Club => Topic started by: RokofAges75 on September 21, 2013, 10:43:19 PM
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I figured we should have a thread for Nick's book! Has anyone else finished reading it yet?
I got it on Tuesday and probably could have read the whole thing in one sitting if it hadn't been for life's little annoyances like homework and going to bed before work in the morning. I finished it Thursday night. I enjoyed it! Honestly, it was a lot better-written than I thought it was going to be. The self-help parts got a bit repetitive after awhile, and I found myself skimming those, but his advice is good, and his writing style is very engaging. I like how he tried to empathize with the reader.
The memoir parts were my favorite, though. It was just interesting to read his take on how he grew up and his family and the guys and his relationships and The Hollow and House of Carters and all of that. He comes across seeming so mature and "together," which he has for several years now, but I loved reading about his transformation in his own words and seeing the product of it. This book was a major accomplishment, and I'm so proud of him!
I also loved the foreward from Howie and the note from Lauren at the end. So sweet!
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I read it in one sitting. The self-help stuff... it's probably better if I keep my comments to myself because their not favourable in the least bit. I thought the stories were interesting and kudos to him for being able to ultimately find what works for him and really make it work long-term because so many people can't.
I dunno, I'm not a book person to start with, definitely not a memoir person and most certainly not a self-help book person so I definitely went into it with a very closed mind. But I promised Hannah I would at least read it all the way through and I did.
I found some of the stories eye-opening, some of them old news and some of them final confirmation of what up until now was either a rumour or had just been used in fanfic so often that we all started to believe it. It made him seem a little more "real", more like he's just "one of us" (except with a few more zeros in his bank account) and there were many experiences that he went through in his life that I have gone through in my own so I was able to relate to some of his stories.
I found the writing to be a bit scattered, to be honest, but it's because his style/confidence seemed to build as he went along. The early chapters were very disrupted, he would break out of a story in the middle of a thought to preach a bit and then jump back in, only to jump back out of the story after a paragraph. He wasn't doing that much near the end of the book which I found much easier to read. Mostly because it made it that much easier to skip all the preachy bullsh... uh, stuff. :)
3/5! lol
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I will add, that my biggest issue with the self-help stuff is not that I'm pretentious and cynical, though that is a huge contributing factor, it's that the book is littered with "facts" without citations. There are some references to studies that are obviously just grabbed off Google that are semi-interesting, but in quite a few places Nick would just write something as though it was fact with no sources or studies to back it up. But because he read it in a book it must be true right? Hannah can attest to the fact that I was flipping in one chapter when multiple easily scientifically-disputed myths were said as fact with nothing to back it up. And so many people who read that will take it as truth because Nick said it and continue the lifeline of the myth... Sigh. Endrant.
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LOL Yes, I know what you mean about the preachy bullshit, and that was the stuff I started skimming through, especially after he'd said the same thing one or twice or ten times before. It did jump around a bit and go in circles, but overall it was still better than what I was expecting. It was definitely better edited than what I was expecting, so props to his editor. He still does not have a firm grasp on the difference between "your" and "you're" on Twitter, so I was half-expecting his book to be an incoherent hot mess, and it wasn't.
You are right about the citations, or lack thereof, though. I wonder how many people have or will actually buy this book as a self help book, though... somehow, I'm guessing most people who read it will read it because they are fans, not because they are addicts or depressed or looking for psychological help. If so, I would suggest they go to a more reputable source than Nick Carter. But coming from the angle of "I've been there, and here's what worked for me," I do think he had some good advice. It wasn't anything new and unheard of, but he didn't pretend to have made it up himself, either. You're right that he should have cited his sources, though, besides listing a bunch of resources in the back.
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Yeah I have to agree with you about the memoir stuff. I also liked how he talked about his family and how he worked and worked to please them. I can really relate to that because my family has a similar dynamic although it is small. the book actually made me stop and think a few times because it was really interesting how he dealt with those things. I liked the part about when he was trying to quit smoking and wore the T Shirt to bed to train himself not to smoke.
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I can't wait to read this book!
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The new album is not yet available here, I hope this book would be. I don't want to resort to googling "Facing the music Nick Carter Free pdf". :(
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lol Am I the only one who doesn't want to read it? I mean, I'm glad that Nick has finally realized how lucky he is and has grown up (and everytime my inner Moriarty comes up and says "That's what people do!" :D :D) and such but I'm not really interested in reading it. The only thing I'm curios about is what he says about the other guys (and especially Brian) so I'm definetely going to wait for the pdf to pop up.
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He actually mentions how much he looks up to Brian and Kevin because of their faith and then Howie because Howie's family and him were close. It was really cute how he talked about the guys. Also I did not know Nick dated Howie's niece. That was really interesting.
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If such a file exists that would be awesome! Sadly, I doubt it does. I don't have the new CD yet either, Ritz! I might as well be your next door neighbor. LOL
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He actually mentions how much he looks up to Brian and Kevin because of their faith and then Howie because Howie's family and him were close. It was really cute how he talked about the guys. Also I did not know Nick dated Howie's niece. That was really interesting.
I saw some tweets about it but I really want to read that part.
If such a file exists that would be awesome! Sadly, I doubt it does. I don't have the new CD yet either, Ritz! I might as well be your next door neighbor. LOL
It might come up, especially with all the ebook thing. I've got tons of pdf so it just a matter of waiting. LOL (Loving to read and being broke don't quite match LOL)
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I am not really all that interested in the self help aspect of the book. I'm more interested in the memoir part and his life growing up and how vital the guys were in this. I know he had a really dysfunctional childhood and I'm interested to see how he managed to take some of those things and turn them around. I guess that aspect of self help I don't mind. I'm always curious to see how people who had really horrible childhoods manage to escape that and compare it with my own life and terrible parents. LOL (inappropriate laughter there) I think that's where people might find it helpful. I know it's sad but it's nice to know that somewhere out there, people like Nick have also had to endure some really icky things. It makes you feel connected somehow. In that way, maybe he will be helpful to some. "If Nick did it, I can do it too!" type thing.
I do agree he should cite sources, but I guess it depends on what he's referencing. Because I haven't' read it yet, I don't know what he's seeming to be an expert on. I mean it's a self help book so you already know it's about how he helped himself and isn't writing it from an expert's point of view, but if he mentions studies on this or that, I hope the info isn't coming out of his ass lol
Either way, I commend him for opening up (which I'm assuming he does) Not an easy thing to do.
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I've not read the book yet and am one of those who is hoping to find a free pdf version lol (£15 for a book is just too much money for me to spend at the moment).
I'm not interested in any self-help stuff as I hate those kind of books. I only want to read the good stuff :) Good to know it's well written though.
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I am not really all that interested in the self help aspect of the book. I'm more interested in the memoir part and his life growing up and how vital the guys were in this. I know he had a really dysfunctional childhood and I'm interested to see how he managed to take some of those things and turn them around. I guess that aspect of self help I don't mind. I'm always curious to see how people who had really horrible childhoods manage to escape that and compare it with my own life and terrible parents. LOL (inappropriate laughter there) I think that's where people might find it helpful. I know it's sad but it's nice to know that somewhere out there, people like Nick have also had to endure some really icky things. It makes you feel connected somehow. In that way, maybe he will be helpful to some. "If Nick did it, I can do it too!" type thing.
I do agree he should cite sources, but I guess it depends on what he's referencing. Because I haven't' read it yet, I don't know what he's seeming to be an expert on. I mean it's a self help book so you already know it's about how he helped himself and isn't writing it from an expert's point of view, but if he mentions studies on this or that, I hope the info isn't coming out of his ass lol
Either way, I commend him for opening up (which I'm assuming he does) Not an easy thing to do.
See I think he could have done the memoir even with the "here's what I did, here's how I learned, here's where I am" aspect without having to do the self help part. Every second paragraph is practically "I'm not a mental health professional, but you should see one if....." and he just repeats that over and over. I feel like that space could have been better used to really get into the stories further because he really only skims the surface on a lot of things. Some stories (especially ones we already kinda knew about) are told in extensive detail while others are only touched upon so he can spend more time repeating the self help stuff.
As for the citations, he does provide references for the studies he mentions but other times he makes statements about health (mental and physical) without any attribution. It was especially prevalent in the chapter about his weight and food addiction, which I think I only noticed more because I could provide facts to the contrary for him lol for example he makes statements with zero attribution about metabolism of foods. I'm fairly certain Nick didn't do the research himself, so at least blame it on someone else "the Health department recommends," etc etc but he just lays it out as fact but his fact was disputed as myth years ago. That shit bugs me because those are other peoples ideas and philosophies that actually did work to try and prove their theories, give them attribution if not citation.
That can also be blamed on the publisher/editor also because Nick isn't exactly an experienced writer and probably would have benefitted from having those things pointed out. Which further enforces why he should have stuck to a memoir lol
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Yeah, I think it's weird he went the whole self help route unless that was the only way it was going to get published.
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I had planned to get this the day it came out, but the bookstore near me didn't get it in so now I've ordered it from Amazon and am (im)patiently waiting for its arrival.
I'll refrain from saying too much about it until I've actually read it, but I'm happy to have knowledge beforehand that it's a lot of self-help stuff. Honestly, I've been hoping for one of the guys to put out a memoir for a long time, so I'm sort of disappointed that this seems like a half-assed version of one. I respect what Nick went through and I'm glad he turned his life around, but what worked for him is not going to work for everyone.
I just really want one of them Kevin to write a book that basically starts every chapter with some event that happened to them and explains the real story.
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I would love Kevin to write a book! He would tell us the real story about everything and everyone. I think besides him and Nick, the other ones would be kind of boring. LOL Love them though...
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If such a file exists that would be awesome! Sadly, I doubt it does. I don't have the new CD yet either, Ritz! I might as well be your next door neighbor. LOL
I would love to be your neighbor! I wish the free pdf will be available. It might take some time, though. There are tons of free pdf in the net. I read two Nicholas Sparks novel.
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One of my friends tried to send out the eBook version, but it's protected so it didn't work. I bet a pdf will make its way online eventually.
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I am not really all that interested in the self help aspect of the book. I'm more interested in the memoir part and his life growing up and how vital the guys were in this. I know he had a really dysfunctional childhood and I'm interested to see how he managed to take some of those things and turn them around. I guess that aspect of self help I don't mind. I'm always curious to see how people who had really horrible childhoods manage to escape that and compare it with my own life and terrible parents. LOL (inappropriate laughter there) I think that's where people might find it helpful. I know it's sad but it's nice to know that somewhere out there, people like Nick have also had to endure some really icky things. It makes you feel connected somehow. In that way, maybe he will be helpful to some. "If Nick did it, I can do it too!" type thing.
I think you will like that aspect of it, Mare. He talks a lot about how even though his parents were not good parents, he can't use them as an excuse or blame them for all his mistakes. He talks about choices and taking control of his own life. In that respect, I think he has good advice for people who got dealt a bad hand of cards growing up.
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I finished reading this morning and really enjoyed it, although I did skim a bit of the self help stuff as it got repetitive. Reading his book brought back a lot of crappy memories of my own childhood, and I must admit I actually felt a bit miserable for a little while as I recalled how my family were.
I'm glad he turned his life around and that everything is going great for him these days. I loved hearing the bits about the other boys too.
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I was really hoping my book would get here today or yesterday. I wanted to spend the weekend reading it. I have a feeling a lot of what he says about his past is going to hit home for me and I'm also sure I'll be doing a fair share of skimming through the self help part of it. lol
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I finally got Nick's book. I had to go to the post office to pick it up. I'm looking forward to reading it but right now I'm so paranoid my internet is going to stop working that I'm watching all my shows first! LMAO sorry Nick. I love you to death but you're not going anywhere.
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Woohoo! But I agree, watch the TV first :)
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I have a lot of shows to catch up on! LMAO Criminy!
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Just read the introduction and forward by Howie. First of all, can I just say how much I love Howie? Seriously...lo ve!
Also that intro was perfect letting people know that this was just Nick's opinion on what worked for him and not necessarily meant to be taken like he knows all about everything. That being said, I'm going to dive into it tomorrow. Yay, Nick!
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I loved Howie's intro too :)
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I had forgotten that Leslie died on my birthday. I'm reading her chapter now.
I am approaching this book the same way I would, reading someone's story and reviewing. I am going to pick each chapter apart and give it the time it deserves and adding my own two cents in the priocess. So, sorry for being wordy but here we go!
I love this part right here: "If you were brought up in a loving, supportive home where you were encouraged to develop your mind and your talents, the way you look at things is most likely going to be different than the way someone who has been abused or neglected looks at things." < This is so true and something I've said more than once. So many people think they understand that but I don't really think they do. You can tell in the passing comments people make or arguments you hear. For the BSB fandom particularly when it comes to the whole Brian and Nick relationship thing. lol
About the staying off meds of any kind thing, once again I get where he's coming from. Having two family members who were on anti psychotic meds most of my life and seeing the side affects of those, I would NEVER want to be put on medication either. My mother is and was a zombie for most of her life. When she wasn't sleeping from the anti depressants, she would just kind of sit and stare at the wall when the other drugs for hearing voices kicked in. Same with my father. Before he killed himself he slept most of the day away.
Maybe it's different for the people who are on them, but being a witness is usually not fun.
I also get why he didn't go to his sister's funeral. I feel bad for him. I'm sure it was a tough choice and I can honestly say I might have done the same thing.
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Okay back with chapter 2. I felt like I was already familiar with this chapter because this was what most of the interviews he had dealt with. Growing up above the bar and all the partying his parents did etc...
I do get a kick out of the amount of times he says the words "You should consult a therapist." It could almost become a fun little drinking game but doing shots while reading this book would kind of defeat the purpose huh? LOL
I can actually hear him talking as I was reading this chapter. I could see him sitting there shaking his leg nervously like he tends to do. The girl he lived with for two years, was that Willa? I thought it was interesting that he didn't call her by name. He's actually done a great job so far not really calling anyone out in too much of a negative light, besides his father. I'm not sure what had BJ so fired up on twitter unless I'm not there yet. I've only read two chapters lol
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Aww I really loved chapter 3 which of course was what I was most looking forward to. I was hoping for a little more details about Backstreet but maybe that will be coming. I loved his descriptions of each guy and what he had learned from them. Loved how he said he felt like Kevin was an eagle looking down on him. He always reminded me of Sam the Eagle on The Muppets. LOL
I also love how many times he mentioned wanting to be a part of the junior patrol aww, now I know what to get him if I ever meet him and feel inclined to give him something. One of those neon orange things those patrol kids used to wear. Even though they don't let the kids do that anymore. At least not here. Suddenly it's too dangerous, like everything else that used to be just fine before we all became wussies! LOL and one more aww moment when he talked about having his classes in the small trailer so he wouldn't affect the smart kids with his dumbness.
And yay to music changing his life and remembering what teacher gave him his first musical part. Woot!
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Aw Mare, I had no idea about your parents, so I'm guessing that reading this book is hard on you too. For me, it was a violent father. He was a high ranking policeman, but used to come home from work late at night, drunk, and used to drag us out of bed just to hit us, sometimes with his leather belt. Families eh! I'm the complete opposite of him and my kids would probably say I'm the softest and most easy going mum they could have, it's a happy house here!
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Aww that's hard, Steph! I think it's awesome that you were able to turn things around and go in the opposite direction from your father. I try to do the same thing when it comes to my family and the way they handled things.
My father was an incredibly scary guy who had a really violent temper but luckily he never took it out on us. He was one of those guys who would destroy things. He once got so mad that he kicked the shit out of the dollhouse my grandfather had bought me until it was completely destroyed. He used to always kick our pets as well. He was an alcoholic on top of everything else. Never once told me he loved me or made me feel safe and has been one of the main reasons that I have yet to be able to maintain any strong relationships with the men in my life. Which I'm sure if I consulted a therapist they'd agree (There ya go Nick, there's your disclaimer!!) lmao
This book is hard to read as I knew it would be. Most of these kinds of books are, which is why I usually stay away from them but it was Nick so I needed to make an exception. I did come from a severely neglectful home. I was almost taken out when my father was arrested and my mother was in a mental institution but they gave me to my grandparents instead until my mother got out of the mental hospital. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if they had taken me away from my parents. Despite it all, I think I managed to turn out semi okay but yeah there's a lot of issues. I mean I'm sure everyone is nodding now and saying "Okay...now I get why she's so nuts! and has such a great handle on her villains!" LOL
I can't believe I just said all that on a public message board but ah well, guess for me that particular part of my past is just that, my past and writing Mel's brought out a lot of that stuff anyway. Unfortunately it's only a tiny chunk of the crap I have dealt with.
I'm sure a lot of us have been through hell. In that way, I am so glad Nick decided to write this book. I know people are coming down on him for being preachy or giving advice he shouldn't be, but for people who feel like they are going through something terrible, him reaching out may be the one hand they need to feel like they aren't going through things all alone.
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And yay to music changing his life and remembering what teacher gave him his first musical part. Woot!
Did you notice that he said he was playing Raoul on one page then Phantom on the next? Lol being the Phantomphile I am I was like okay, which was it :P
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Did you notice that he said he was playing Raoul on one page then Phantom on the next? Lol being the Phantomphile I am I was like okay, which was it :P
I did notice that lol
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Just read chapter 4 and I feel like this is the first chapter where I learned some things I didn't already know. I also felt like this chapter was more of a memoir than a self help book. There was only one mention of a therapist. I did a get a kick out of the fact that whenever he mentions Ecstasy he always says the illegal drug Ecstasy lol he's so cute. It's like you want to pinch his cheeks and say "Yes, we know Nick!"
That whole devil thing in the bathroom was creepy. Is it wrong that I laughed a few times especially at the "Why does Satan always get such a bum rap?" lmao I just was really able to visualize that entire thing.
He was a mess back then. I mean I knew he was a mess back then but I didn't realize how much of a hot mess he was. Yikes!! I'm so glad the guys stuck by him. I'd hate to think about what could have happened if they didn't.
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Just finished "The Night of the Zombies."
I give him credit for doing all this research into what was happening to him and his body. He seems to be one of those kinds of people who want to know more about everything. Too bad he didn't apply himself like that when he was in school. I bet he would have actually been a really great student if that was the case.
P.S. I feel like I'm the only one on this message board. lol
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I got that vibe from him too, that he's actually very inquisitive. He probably could have been a great student if he'd been into learning then.
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Yes, I got that too, but his parents didn't seem to care about things like that did they.
Mare, I can't believe I admitted about my dad too, and there's probably a ton more I could write, but I'll keep it to myself! I will say that I didn't speak to my dad for years, but a few years ago he contacted me and apologised for the way he'd treated us and doesn't drink anymore, so I forgave him and see him a few times a year now.
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^ That's awesome, Steph. Hopefully he stays clean and sober.
The other thing I forgot to mention way back in the early chapters is I can't believe they made him babysit all those kids when he was barely 9 years old! What a lot of responsibility for a kid that small!
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This book is not available here in UAE and will never be... I inquired with a local bookstore and they can order it online for me but will cost me 60 USD. Is that reasonable? I mean how much does the book cost there?
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I love Nick to death but his book is nowhere worth $60! I think it was only $10 here, Ritz! Have you tried Amazon or maybe even the BSB website?
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Not yet. I haven't tried buying stuff online so I'm a little hesitant to do that. That's why I was okay for that set-up that the bookstore will buy it for me, I will pay them and pick up the book once it arrives. But my husband said no as 60 USD is too much for a book. :(
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Amazon is a really reliable website. I order from them all the time and have never had a problem.
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I've never had a hard time with Amazon either or Barnes and Noble online.
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I'm addicted to buying on amazon. Definitely a safe place to shop online.
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Amazon is a really reliable website. I order from them all the time and have never had a problem.
I concur! You can likely buy an eBook also so you don't have to worry about shipping charges, etc.
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I always use Amazon, never had a problem! £60 for a book is ridiculous though Ritz!!
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It's been a few days since I have read this book but because of mass this morning I was able to read the chapter about House of Carters. I thought it was pretty interesting that he perceives himself as a control freak. For some reason I never really pictured him like that. I'm also kind of surprised that he is trying this whole reality thing again with Lauren after seeing how horrible his experience was with his siblings. I know it was a different thing but still...he made me feel like maybe he's taking a step in the wrong direction with this one. Hope not though!
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I'm not sure about this new reality show either, but I think what will make it different is the fact that he and Lauren seem to have a healthy, functional relationship. It won't be a bunch of drunken arguing like House of Carters was. I'm sure it will show him in a much better light.
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Yeah I'm iffy on this show too. Hoping for the best but will give the Blame crown back to Nick if it becomes a wreck.
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I not too sure about his new reality show either, but I'm sure I'll watch out of curiosity!
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I'm definitely going to watch it as long as it ends up online. lol
Hopefully it'll end up being a good thing for him.
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Oh yes, it's got to be online for me too!
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I read the heart chapter of Nick's book yesterday. It was very interesting. I wasn't surprised to hear he was a hypochondriac. I wish he would have talked about the guys and their thoughts on what he was going through. I'm sure it's not something he wants to talk about but it sure is something I'd love to know. lol
It's taking me a lot longer to get through this book than I thought it would. But I'm in my I have no attention span to read phase right not. I started The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult about a month ago and haven't gotten past chapter one. No idea what's wrong with me!
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I just read all your comments about Amazon, will try it one of these days, hopefullt before the year ends. Hope there wont be any problem with shipping address. I heard there are sites that requires a billing address in the states, but I'm sure Amazon is not one of those.
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I finally finished Nick's book and stupidly left it in the gym bathroom at school. Duh! Now I have to claim it lol is it wrong I'm embarrassed?
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I got the book back yesterday lol No one opened the bag so I was safe.
I did enjoy it a lot. I feel ya, Nick.
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I loved the book. But it was way more repetitive than I thought it would be plus I thought that he would put more family/friends stories but it was a good book none the less
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It was very repetitive! I wish it had been more of a memoir and less of a self-help book, too. My favorite parts were when he told personal stories. I tweeted the other day, I'm finding it handy to have a book actually written by one of them to go back and look up stuff in when I'm writing fanfic, especially when I'm like, "Did that really happen, or was that just in another fanfic?" Sometimes those lines blur! LOL