Asking for a Friend: Three Centuries of Advice on Life, Love, Money, and Other Burning Questions from a Nation Obsessed (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781568585345)

A delightful history of Americans' obsession with advice -- from Poor Richard to Dr. Spock to Miss Manners

Americans, for all our talk of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, obsessively seek advice on matters large and small. Perhaps precisely because we believe in bettering ourselves and our circumstances in life, we ask for guidance constantly. And this has been true since our nation's earliest days: from the colonial era on, there have always been people eager to step up and offer advice, some of it lousy, some of it thoughtful, but all of it read and debated by generations of Americans.

Jessica Weisberg takes readers on a tour of the advice-givers who have made their names, and sometimes their fortunes, by telling Americans what to do. You probably don't want to follow all the advice they proffered. Eating graham crackers will not make you a better person, and wearing blue to work won't guarantee a promotion. But for all that has changed in American life, it's a comfort to know that our hang-ups, fears, and hopes have not. We've always loved seeking advice -- so long as it's anonymous, and as long as it's clear that we're not asking for ourselves; we're just asking for a friend.

Author: Jessica Weisberg
ISBN-10: 1568585349
ISBN-13: 9781568585345
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Language: English
Published: 04/03/2018
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.10w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/22/2018
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2018
Booklist 03/01/2018 pg. 4
Library Journal 04/01/2018 pg. 83