Author: Michael Flocker
Length: 208 pages
Type: Non-fiction
Genre: Self-Help
In the age of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and countless other self-help disciplinarians, indulging in any kind of pleasurable pastime is on the brink of extinction. But it’s not too late to revive those lost pleasures that make life worth living. The Hedonism Handbook can help put the three-martini lunch, the baguette with real butter, the deep tan, the unfiltered cigarette, or the simple act of lying in a hammock under the stars back within our grasp. A tongue-in-cheek, satirical guide to the “good” life, The Hedonism Handbook will help us reclaim it all.With his characteristic wit, author Michael Flocker combines humorous reviews of historical excesses, suggestions for everyday indulgences, lists of hedonistic icons with famous quotes and earnest warnings about the perils of structured living. Made up of ten worldly wise chapters arranged to form a journey for the reader-a path from the straight-and-narrow into wide-open fields of frivolity-The Hedonism Handbook will help readers master the lost arts of leisure and pleasure. It provides an entertaining, yet (if you’re not careful), life-changing read.
Janet Dore –
Five years ago, I sat on a quiet North Shore Kauai beach with a book entitled Bohemian Manifesto in hand. By the time I closed the back cover, I finally knew what label to slap on myself…and experienced a newfound sense of kinship with a totally unorganized tribe. Today, thanks to this book, I can tack “Hedonist” onto the end. Okay, probably redundant but what the heck.
This is a light, fun, but ultimately profound read by a guy who GETS IT. What’s “it”? “It” is what life is all about. Having just returned from Burning Man, I’m convinced this guy is a Burner. If not, he needs to be recruited. See, burners grasp the value of play, of love, of seizing the moment. They realize, like the author, that life is fleeting and will be over before we know it. It’s begging to be lived…not just for the sake of money, but for the sake of our souls.