The Best Amazon Review I Ever Received

The Best Amazon Review I Ever Received

Casey gave my book, Sh*t Sandwich, a 2-Star review on Amazon last week… and, it’s the best review I’ve ever received!

Before I explain why it’s the best review ever, let me share his thought-provoking words of wisdom:

OK, Boomer.

This is the most boomer book I’ve ever read. It’s almost a bingo card– “snowflake,” “wah participation medals,” “you’re blaming everyone but yourself,” “capitalism is ok actually,” etc. etc. etc.

Casey clearly read and understood the book (and his review shows a verified purchase). I might even use his review in future marketing for the book – he’s 100% correct!

But, Casey Doesn’t Get It

I wrote Sh*t Sandwich: Quick & Practical Success Lessons for Practically Anyone specifically for the Caseys of the world.

Most from Casey’s generation (I assume he’s a Millennial since he correctly called me a Boomer – as in, Baby Boomer) have unfortunately been let down by the establishments and circumstances that hardened a poor kid from the Phoenix area into a (dare I say) successful, overpaid member of the Gig Economy. (I don’t like calling myself an entrepreneur, since the only business I’ve built is one that even after ten successful years still employs just two people full time.)

In my day – don’t you love it when a Baby Boomer begins a sentence this way? – we had very little. Moreover, we were also given very little. For example:

• We had winners and losers in everything we did. Whether it was school grades or league sports or (yikes!) dodgeball. Someone won and everyone else lost. Losing was and is a one of the greatest lessons we can learn in life.
• There were few real distractions. We had one television in the house that received four channels. We had one phone in the house (and none in our pockets). When we finally got our first video game, it was Atari’s Pong. Distractions (especially the well-documented screen addictions) are a very real issue for all generations today.
• We had to work a little harder for everything. If we had to complete a research paper for school, we went to the library for hours to plagiarize (we didn’t have Google to make this plagiarization effortless). If we wanted to buy a candy bar at the store, we saved our money and bought it ourselves. While we probably had child labor laws back then, they weren’t enforced. When I couldn’t make enough money from the chores I did around the house, I got a job selling candy door-to-door… I was nine years old when I left that job and started running a paper route.

I’m not waxing nostalgic for these times, mind you, just stating facts. We learned early and often that life was not fair.

Life’s Not Fair

Because Millennials and Gen Zs were brought up in more prosperous times – where even some of the poorest kids you meet have iPhones – they have less real strife to worry about. This magnifies the little inconveniences they face.

Because these same generations have unlimited entertainment options, they’re never left to their own thoughts for very long. This cheapens the value of real entertainment for them, in my opinion.

(A good parallel to this is how my generation took oranges for granted – you could buy them anywhere; as you can today. However, when my Mother was a young girl, oranges were a cherished treat; something you only enjoyed on special occasions.)

A lack of prosperity (not the same as being poor) and a lack of choices; coupled with cherishing little things, helps you cope with life’s ups and downs.

When you have little, you learn that life is not fair, and no one owes you a thing.

When you have much, your concept of fairness is distorted.

I know, because I raised three millennial sons.

Casey’s Gonna Have a Tough Life

If Casey truly feels the 83 success lessons in Sh*t Sandwich are just more Baby Boomer nonsense, I’m sad to predict he’s not going to be happy in his forties, fifties, or beyond. Without sacrificing today – and learning to eat shit sandwiches – he’s going have a very tough time when the world starts to force shit sandwiches down his throat.

To use terms Casey might understand better:

• Baby Boomers have been there, done that;
• It’s not their first rodeo;
• They’ve already slayed life; and
• They can be Savage AF…

In other words, Casey, perhaps instead of throwing shade on us Boomers, you could open your mind a little, doe.

You see, employers, coworkers, and significant others – whether they’re Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, or whatever – appreciate those Boomer-like traits of personal responsibility, being on time, and working hard that I tried to share in Sh*t Sandwich.

Thank You, Casey

To be clear, I want to thank you, Casey. Your review was spot on… unfortunately, for you, the book is filled with real-world advice to help the Caseys of the world compete in the real world. I’m glad it wasn’t the rah-rah, feel good, rainbows and unicorns you were looking for.

I commend you for buying and reading a book containing success lessons. However, might I suggest you open your mind with any future tomes you consume? If you’re not willing to do that, then perhaps you should just go back to eating Tide Pods and playing video games… sorry to have wasted your ten dollars.

…

No need to waste money like Casey, Sh*t Sandwich is free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Additionally, you can read all 83 lessons for free on this blog. The series starts here: Shit Sandwich? Is That Served With or Without Mayo?