Customer Reviews

Be the Worst You Can Be: Life's Too Long for Patience and Virtue

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Charles Saatchi is officially known for founding the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency and championing young British artists - but he's unofficially known for being secretive, opinionated and rather grumpy. In Be the Worst You Can Be, Saatchi finally speaks. The book is beautifully produced, with thick pages and colour pictures, and consists of Saatchi's answers to almost 300 questions from journalists and members of the public. These range from the profound ("Are winners in life people who always put themselves first?") to the personal ("Did you ever run away from home as a child?") to the slightly silly ("Do you like girl groups or boy bands?").

Saatchi may not be a likeable man, but he is certainly an interesting one. Although some of his responses seem throwaway, many of them are fascinating and show a rare insight - in particular, his thoughts on negative reviews, being nice to people, and impatience. There are few insights into the worlds of advertising or art dealing, although it does include the unexpected and delightful fact that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows because it was the fashion in Renaissance Florence to shave them off.

Grumpier than a self-help book and more beautifully presented than an interview, this book is fine to flip through during idle moments.

I love this book! it is actually very inspiring! so simple yet so true! i finished the book in a day! It just made me laugh so much! I couldn't keep my voice down in the Cafe! :)
Definitely get one!

Now I know why the world is like it is, if everyone took Saatchi's view there would be a great deal of people in a great deal of trouble. Ok so being nice is under-rated but without us nice people Saatchi wouldn't be where he is today.
You see I can't even put what I really think because he has powerful lawyers, if you want to live in the world of the crass and uncaring this book is for you. I hope it was written as a joke - but I doubt it.

Excellent book! So provocative. I took it as a "self help" book reminding us than the devil also can be insightful. I wiew Mr Saatchi as cynical at the start of the book and finished it thinking he's inspirational. Loved the James Joyce question.

Delivery great bought as Xmas present for my daughter. She is thoroughly enjoying the reading. She would highly recommend the book.

Bought for my son for his birthday, this has proved an amusing and droll read. A definite antidote to all the self-improvement books out there!

Definitely worth buying...outlandish and deliberately prokoving but Saatchi is never boring. I could even relate to some of his musings.

bought this as a Christmas gift for my hubby and he loved it. it's honest, very dry and witty a great read!

On first impressions, I found this book, visually to be extremely pleasing to the eye and touch. I really like the fact that it has a page string and also appreciate the signature in the front of it. The gold finish on the edge of each page also lends the book a classic air. The leather effect hardback is a truly fine finishing touch. I gained the impression the book is giving a nod to something like the Bible with its type font and gold accented finishing touches. The book, aesthetically, is quite the masterpiece, I am very impressed with it. I also enjoy smelling the freshness of printed paper and it didn't fail to please my nostrils.

I like the fact that he chooses the format he does, it is original and refreshing to see someone interviewed by several different interviewers, thus allowing a before unseen fashion of varying stances of relaxation/seriousness during the same 'session' I can see that a vein of humor runs through this book. The fact that the book contains features on meditation, sadistic potential world dominators, Art and the world of film coupled with the fact that during his life he has learned a great deal about Earth, society and people as a whole, means that I give a double thumbs up.

I particularly admire Saatchi's proverb "The disease to please" as I was afflicted by it until perhaps a couple of years ago. All in all to conclude my review, I think that the book (much like Saatchi's first one) is a work of Art in itself and found pleasure and occasional pain in reading it, perhaps due to its unfiltered and unique take on reality.

A collection of intellectual and funny musings, most of which happen to be true. Definitely laugh out loud material. Please continue to write Mr Saatchi.