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Secrets of the Superoptimist Paperback – January 1, 2007
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- Print length166 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVitally Important
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2007
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100977480704
- ISBN-13978-0977480708
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Vitally Important; First Edition (January 1, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 166 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0977480704
- ISBN-13 : 978-0977480708
- Item Weight : 7.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,073,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #482 in New Age Reference (Books)
- #936 in Parody
- #1,302 in Self-Help & Psychology Humor
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Nathaniel Whitten is the author of several books that defy easy categorization. Among them are "Secrets of the SuperOptimist" (with Walt Morton), which Rolling Stone called “Hilarious” and The Huffington Post hailed as “Highly amusing. Secrets we can actually use,” as well as "The Do-It-Yourself Constitutional Amendment Kit", which Publisher’s Weekly deemed “Charming...edgy...like an episode of The Daily Show crossed with an issue of Mother Jones." "The SuperOptimist Guide to Unconventional Living" will be available September 2022.
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For me this is a spiritual book with a light tone and a calm palm down on the ego of spirituality. Sometimes the Secrets promote a retreat from day-to-day ridiculousness, and sometimes they plough full force into it, but the emphasis is always on seeing the world around you, with humor and amazement and a balance of caution and daring. Mostly what is required is the capacity to step back, really SEE, and attend to the present moment.
“You can’t reliably predict 5 days from now, much less 50 years. That’s why the SuperOptimist believes that the ‘good time’ is not in some imagined far distant future, but in every tiny moment of existence at this very moment right now. And now. And now. And…now.” (Secret #8)
Viewed as a circle, there’s only a slight gap between SuperOptimist to SuperPessimist, but the book’s Secrets hold close to optimism. And sometimes the Optimism even blossoms into Hope—for every ego-driven, mother-fearing, anxiety-ridden soul who dares to walk bare-soled onto the green grass and enjoy (Secret #37). Ha.
The perfect antidote for a more than wacky world. Recommended for those with a sense of humor and an appreciation of irony.
I was drawn in by the stark opposition of the title against the book’s cover: a free falling, ambiguous human engulfed in a ball of flames. This was going to be wry and dark! Alas, you can’t judge a book by the juxtaposition of its cover. While I enjoyed the “secrets” and found a few very positive and enlightening tips to ponder, I was hoping for more snark and less quirk. Though some of the “secrets” were wittily written and original, many missed what I believe was the authors’ satirical target. They list their numbered secrets out of chronological order, which felt like a contrived attempt to be offbeat. They use an eclectic blend of Eastern and Western religious thought and a ton of meditation techniques to explain how to handle many situations. Again, some of the situations were quite funny and useful: Secret #97, “If someone thinks you are crazy…all the better. Nobody bothers crazy people. And sometimes they get free food.” And some not so helpful or funny: Secret #50, “Act aloof at your next job interview. Chances are, they’ll make you an offer.” Maybe it’s just me, but I would not heed this advice.
I really enjoyed the advice for writers and artists scattered throughout the work. One exercise of sorts within Secret #55 was to “turn yourself into a fictional character.” They suggest to do this to keep your life interesting, as well as an exercise in creativity. And to end on an inspirational note, I will end with Secret 11.3: “It is always more important to disseminate your own work as it stands than to allow robot monkeys in a corporate office park to micromanage, repackage, and nullify its soul. Do it yourself. Make something. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll amaze your friends.”

