How to Ruin Your Life [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Ben Stein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

How to Ruin Your Life is a powerful self-help tool in the form of a work of humor. It is sardonic advice, presented in a tongue-in-cheek style, explaining how people can "ruin" their lives. Topics include essays such as "Convince Yourself That You’re The Center of the Universe," "Think The Worst of Everyone," and "You Can Change People."

Seriously, though, to anyone who listens to this CD, it is an earnest warning about falling into traps of self-destructive behavior that can ruin any man or woman’s life. More than that, it comprises 35 steps which—if read and understood—provide a road map to making life work in the most effective way possible. It is humor and self-help all in one, delivered by Ben Stein, a man who has witnessed more than his share of people who did ruin their lives—as well as those whose lives have been wildly successful.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ben Stein, a nationally renowned "Renaissance man," was host of the long-running quiz show Win Ben Stein’s Money and is currently a judge on Star Search. He is a former White House speechwriter, Wall Street Journal columnist, trial lawyer, law school professor, scriptwriter, and novelist—and author of several self-help books; including How to Ruin Your Life; ISBN: 1-56170-974-3, sold 50,000 copies. He has seen the biggest (Richard Nixon) and the most famous (many Hollywood stars) ruin their lives. He has also seen how some seemingly ordinary people made something great of their lives—by doing the opposite of what he sees as ruinous acts and modes of thought. He resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hay House; Abridged edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401902383
• ISBN-13: 978-1401902384
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,529,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ben Stein (Los Angeles, CA) is a respected economist who is known to many as a movie and television personality, but has worked more in personal and corporate finance than anywhere else. He has written about finance for Barron's, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fortune; was one of the chief busters of the junk-bond frauds of the 1980s; has been a longtime critic of corporate executives' self-dealing; and has cowritten eight finance books. Stein travels the country speaking about finance in both serious and humorous ways, and is a regular contributor to CBS's Sunday Morning, CNN, and Fox News. He was the 2009 winner of the Malcolm Forbes Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best on the CD., April 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Ruin Your Life (Audio CD)

This is great material from a wry observer of human (and his own) nature. I don't know about the book, but I highly recommend the CD. Stein reads.

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorously insightful, November 21, 2010

By 

upnort - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Ruin Your Life (Audible Audio Edition)

Listening to Ben Stein read his own work adds SO much to this book. His deadpan delivery is perfect for the subject matter. I DARE you not to find yourself and people you know in the pages of this book. I laughed out loud, to be sure, but didn't miss the message as he discusses the self-defeating behaviors in which we all indulge from time to time. Highly recommend, especially in this format!

13 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wow. This is really, really BAD., December 8, 2004

By 

PKM (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Ruin Your Life (Audio CD)

This book can be summarized in about 3 sentences: 1. Don't be egocentric. 2. Don't be mean. 3. Don't be dumb.

I'm very sorry I wasted the money on this, and even more sorry that some of the money will go to Ben Stein.