F is for A Book Review

Today I want to write about one of the strangest yet best self-help books I have ever encountered. Perhaps self-help is not the best label to put on this book, because it’s a bit genre-bending. Part fiction, part self-help, part who knows? The title is “Fuck, Yes!” A Guide to the Happy Acceptance of Everything by Rev. Wing F. Fing. If you like Tom Robbins, I think you’ll appreciate this book. The style of writing is very similar. In fact, there are rumors that Robbins actually wrote Fuck, Yes. These rumors eventually found their way into a lawsuit by the author of Fuck, Yes against Robbins.

I first discovered Fuck, Yes through a fringe play back in the late 90’s. The writer/director of the play gave me his copy. I devoured it in short order. It was great. And really hard to describe. Basically the self-help premise of the book is that one should just say yes to whatever situation or question arises. The story line follows a charismatic man who decides to say yes and forms a church of sorts with several different followers who believe in the power of yes. It details the rise and fall of his organization. Here are some of the chapter titles which both reveal and conceal what the book is about:

• Say Yes to Higher Education
• Say Yes to Yourself
• Say Yes to Vegetables
• Say Yes to Confusion

So whether you read it as a self-help book or as a humourous work of fiction, just say yes and read it. It’s worth it. Unfortunately it’s a bit hard to get your hands on a hard copy–for some reason it’s not sitting prominently along with the other self-help books in the bookstore. If you’re a modern reader, the Kindle version is available on amazon for only $2.70. If you do happen to come across a copy, either in a used bookstore or in your grandma’s basement, just say yes. At the very least, go to amazon and read the Look Inside section. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A picture of my copy which the previous owner dropped in the bathtub.

Here are some links about Fuck, Yes and where to get it:

http://www.shepherdbooks.com/thehomeofyes.html

http://www.amazon.com/Fuck-YES-Guide-Acceptance-Everything-ebook/dp/B005CXQ0YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394462566&sr=8-1&keywords=fuck+yes

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/60114.Wing_F_Fing

Here are some links about Tom Robbins and the rumors and lawsuit involving the author of Fuck, Yes:

http://www.rain.org/~da5e/trvisit.html

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19941130&id=SFBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w-sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6770,7636452

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1914&dat=19941201&id=cd8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I2sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2884,219898