What can modern readers take from the wisdom of the Stoics? How can they help us now to lead a good and meaningful life? It is impressive to read this title and discover the many ways in which the stoics can help us in making decisions and choosing the life that we want.

Take a look at this title by Professor Pigliucci. He writes in a thoughtful style and offers a glimpse into his own life in these pages. This title may change your worldview or at least provide some welcome perspective.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this intriguing read. All opinions are my own.

I remembered a bit about the stoics from a class I had in college, though for the life of me I can't recall which one anymore. Thought it might make a good read; you know, learn a bit more about the stoics. And maybe it is that. It's just not something I can practice myself, interesting as it might be. But, my son-in-law sort of got interested in stoics about the same time I encountered this book. I purchased it for him, when it was published, and he enjoyed the book very much! So there is an audience for the book and I am sure it will do very well! It is well written and contains a goodly amount of info that anyone interested in learning about it will be pleased!

How to be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci is an easy to understand introduction to Stoic philosophy. With a witty, engaging writing style, Pigliucci breaks down Stoic philosophy into its constituent parts, discussing each in turn. He makes use of anecdotes both ancient and modern.

After a few chapters of overview and history, the book is broken into three major parts, consisting of several chapters each, delving into one of the three disciplines of Stoicism. Part One looks at the discipline of desire, or things that we should and shouldn't want, along with the realisation that there are only so many things within our power. No matter how well we may do something, or how prepared we are, we have no control over the actions, thoughts, and feelings of others. Part Two presents the discipline of action, and covers virtues, morals, and making use of role models. Part Three focuses on the discipline of assent, and how we should react to situations, along with working with our emotions in a proper and positive way. This last section includes twelve Stoic practices to integrate into your own life. An appendix gives a brief overview of other philosophies.

Much of the book is presented in a jocular manner, easy and friendly, and a good percentage reflects Pigliucci's inner discourse with the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, whom he regards as a role model. As one who uses personified guides that I can 'speak with’ and debate things, I greatly appreciated both the presentation and the admission. How to be a Stoic takes a weighty subject and makes it more accessible to the masses.

As Pigliucci said, Stoicism isn't for everyone, but as a practical philosophy, I found it quite interesting. It seems a good fit for me, based on my needs, and even just a once reading proved useful in initiating change in my own life. It prompted me to collect more contemporary books on Stoicism to read. This is definitely a book I'll be rereading and making use of for years to come. It provided the final push I needed to reframe how I relate to my body and it's growing limitations. Through no fault nor control of my own, I suffer from an autoimmune disorder that initially stripped me of my ability to distance walk, and leaves me in a state of chronic pain and increasing fatigue. Thanks to persistence, and a growing ability to communicate with my body, I'm regaining my walking endurance. The flip side is that I'm far more prone to take catnaps now, several times a day. Delving further into Stoicism helped me make peace with my broken body, and making use of the practices given help me keep that peace.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin/Random House UK for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review.

This is a great look at the stoic philosophy and how to live it.

Really enjoyed this book and especially appreciated how it followed stoicism's development and evolution throughout history - beginning with its humble roots and extending through modern society. It reads a little like a textbook, but this is what you would expect from a historian-philosopher. Well done, well researched, and well explained!

Title: How to Be a Stoic

Author: Massimo Pigliucci

Format: Chapters addressing what Stoic philosophy teaches about different aspects of life followed by a section on how to apply these teachings.

Content: In each chapter the author generally quotes a Stoic philosopher (particularly Epictetus) to illustrate an important part of the philosophy. He then clears up common arguments people might offer for why this isn't good advice or misconceptions he has encountered. Then he provides an anecdote from his personal life, the lives of the ancient philosophers, or someone else trying to be a Stoic to show how these thoughts are being applied to improve people's lives (or their reactions to their lives)

What I liked: The book was well organized and accessible. The chapters were not too long, and the thoughts were well-connected. I particularly liked how he summarized the main points in the last chapter as a refresher before giving practical activities.

What I didn't like: In some chapters there were too many anecdotes, and it seemed like they were expected to speak for themselves. One or two fewer examples with more analysis/explanation would have given a better view of some points. This is especially true in the later chapters, (Disability and mental illness, love and friendship)

Overall I really enjoyed this book and it has made me interested in reading and learning more about Stoic philosophy, so it achieved its goal.

I enjoyed the book thoroughly and it is a great companion to Buddhist thought and a secular way to live.

A very good book about the subject that taught me that I don't want to be a stoic. I found it thorough, well-researched and easy to read, while entertaining enough, despite the fact, that I realized that my interest in the subject was (for me personally) misguided and does not fit me very well. That said, the book is worth reading for anyone who does not have any idea about stoicism and is curious.

A wonderful book about stoicism. This book is highly researched and any of the ideas proposed by the author are supported by many sources which is something lacking in a lot of other modern books that look into stoicism. I really enjoyed this book after reading Meditations.

Great quote from the book: "if we understand the ancient Green concept of amathia, we know that it is more helpful to think of people who do bad things as mistaken and there to be pitied and helped, if possible, not condemned as evil."

Pigliucci could also have subtitled this book A Journey with Epictetus as much of it is written as a conversation between him and the Greek philosopher. I suppose those with a sound knowledge of philosophy might think of this book as 'pop philosophy' and I suppose in some ways it is. As someone with only a superficial knowledge, it was perfect for me.

The book discusses the three Stoic displines of desire, action and assent, and the four Stoic virtues: (practical) wisdom, courage, justice and tolerance. Thomas Aquinas adopted these four virtues and added faith, hope and charity. Pigliucci uses Ancient Greek, modern day and personal stories, and humour to explore each of these, firstly quoting what Epictetus had to say, secondly dissecting his words to provide a modern day understanding of what he meant (as interpreted by the author). He says that Stoics like pithy summaries of their ideas. So do I! To summarise the Stoic template for achieving eudaimonia, or a life worth living, you should

a) (to paraphrase the serenity prayer) know the difference between your internal goals over which you have control and external outcomes over which you may have some influence but have no control.

b) do unto others etc. Treat all humanity equally, i.e. behave towards a complete stranger as if he were your brother. [Ok, maybe not your brother - that's not always the greatest relationship!]

c) hate the sin, not the sinner - bad people to bad things from lack of wisdom / ignorance and should be treated with compassion. That isn't the same as turning the other cheek.

Stoicism teaches people to monitor their own reactions and to reflect critically on how they perceive and interpret the world. One of the most important lessons for me is understanding Epictetus's dichotomy of control. Under our control are our decisions and behaviours. Outwith our control are other people's actions and behaviours and the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Recognising this opens up new ways of dealing with problems that we hadn't thought of before. The behaviour and actions of others, or the circumstances in which you find yourself, may not be in your control but your reactions are. This is a really empowering message. I can take offence and react badly or I can think about the situation rationally and objectively. The ultimate goal is to achieve equanimity. Why make yourself miserable, e.g. sit and fume because someone in the room is getting on your wick, when you can choose not to let it bother you?

The book ends with twelve exercises to help you master the Stoic virtues. Some of them I live by now but have only got to this point through six decades of not doing them, others will require a bit more work! For me, this book offers a very sensible approach to life. One that will result in those that practice the methods living a more fulfilled, calmer, and more balanced life. I've already learned a lot of useful processes from reading the book and hope that I can master those that come less naturally to me. Time will tell.

I'd highly recommend this book if you're interested in learning more about Ancient Greek philosophy, and/or Stoicism itself, or are just interested to read about how relevant these ideas are to us today. In case you hadn't worked it out already, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Stoicism as a philosophy to live in the better possible way was something I've never thought about, and I was happy to read this book because it shows how actual and modern it can still be after all this century. I will go back now, and read some other books from this author, because he writes pretty good and he is clear and gives a lot of examples.

Lo stoicismo come filosofia per vivere nel migliore dei modi possibili non l'avevo mai considerata, e sono stata quindi felice di leggere questo libro, che mi é piaciuto soprattutto perché mostra come possa essere attuale nonostante risalga a centinaia di anni fa.. Ora cercheró qualche altro libro di questo autore perché scrive bene, e fornisce molti esempi per rendere il tutto piú chiaro.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!