The Art of Non-Conformity - Review

This was really a good book, but not the first one I would recommend to others wanting to strike out on their own. The author has put together a well-written account of his own life and some principles that will help anyone follow in his footsteps. There is some great information here, and its a pretty easy read. Would be a great book for anyone, especially those who are about to make big life decisions and are open to thinking about different opportunities. 

Pros

* Great travel information. If you want to travel around the world on the cheap, Chapter 10 of this book will be a huge help.

* Honest focus on others is refreshing in a book like this. Author genuinely pushes for the reader to find ways to serve.

* Inspiring. The goals laid out in this book are very realistic, within reach of any person with a little determination.


Cons

* Too short, too diverse. Felt like three different books whittled down into one.

* I would say about 80% of the information has already been put out in more popular books. Not much new here.

* Online resources are the best thing about the book - they are great. Unfortunately, they also make the book expendable.

I loved the idea for an alternative education, thought the critique of college was right on, and will use some of the travel hacking advice from the author. The largest problem with this book is that most people will only read one in the genre of business-career-self-help, and The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content. has more information and more practical advice.

For another great book on traveling, check out Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.

One thing to note for authors: One of the 11 things on his list, "11 Ways to Be Remarkably Average", was "Think about a writing a book, but never doing it". Great advice. Congratulations to authors who have already written a book. For the rest that are thinking about, get started and you will have one item checked off and be on your way to a not-so-average life.