You, Inc.

Trudging through unemployment and job searching is getting extremely discouraging, so I look to books as a pick-me-up. You, Inc: The Art of Selling Yourself, by Harry Beckwith and Christine Clifford Beckwith, was a perfect dose of inspiration. It details helpful recommendations for representing yourself, whether in the workplace or in day-to-day interactions, in nice, short chapters. Below are a few of my favorites:

• Choose the dots, not the lines- Explore your passions and interests, even if you can't immediately see how they will fit into the big picture. These are the dots. You never know, they may connect to your career path in unexpected ways.

• Your Greatest Debt- "There is no such thing as too grateful or too appreciative. How many thank you notes did you send last year? This year, send twice that many."
• Make Yourself Uncomfortable "Seek comfort and you will shrink into the background and never accomplish what you hope to. To truly thrive, learn what makes you uncomfortable."
• What People Value-"The way you make them feel"
• Thinking Outside Your Box- Instead of thinking "outside the box," bring new ideas and experiences into your life to expand your realm of expertise. "Grow a bigger box."
• The Real First Rule of Communicating- "Make yourself clearer, and people will think you are an expert."
• The Ears Have it- "Listen. Actively and often; always. Before you speak, take one second." The author noted how her mother would say we all have two ears and one mouth, which means we should listen twice as much as we speak.

Running With Scissors

Despite criticisms of Running with Scissors (by Augusten Burroughs), I enjoyed it immensely. Burroughs's "series of unfortunate events" life shared through this novel/memoir was so unexpected that I flew through the pages. His anecdotes growing up with a literally psychotic mother, alcoholic and distant father, and living in his mother's psychiatrist's home were almost hard to believe. Faking a suicide attempt to avoid school, having nightmares about his inability to make perfect pin curls (he dreamed of having his own beauty empire), and having sex at age 14 with his 30+ year old boyfriend were commonplace occurrences.

Through all of the horrors, there was still an underlying bite of humor that makes it evident that the author has risen above his tragedies. I appreciated the raw, no-nonsense writing. It is unapologetic and does not using being gay as a crutch or excuse. Not all memoirs need to elicit a response of self-discovery or catharsis within the reader (some reviews complain that the story did not make them feel better after reading). This is an example of wit and survival in the midst of a volatile environment.This being said, it certainly is not for everyone. Some of the sexual passages may be squirm-inducing.