Michael Leviton

Things I loved about this book:

What a devastating and absolutely alien perspective! It was amazing to walk in shoes I've truly never walked in. I realize, in a way, this is me admitting my own dishonesty, but also feeling validated for it, in the end.

Michael's take on his own life is brutal, engaging, unrelatable, and thoroughly entertaining.

Things I disliked:

Michael's perspective from the root of his family "honesty cult" is so shocking and immediately alien, that it made me numb to the entertainment by the end.

While I appreciated such a frank, inward look at his own shortcomings and strengths, by the end, I wondered what the point was. Was there enough growth? Enough of a shift to imply a call to action or a cautionary moral? I honestly don't know, which bothers me.

As a whole:

The writing is much like the person writing, honest, straightforward, strongly simple, and absolutely stalwart. It's the kind of writing I really appreciate, but which becomes dry if binge-read.

I'd definitely recommend giving it a read, but be warned: it's not a story some folks will be open to hearing.… (altro)

To Be Honest by Michael Leviton is a memoir focusing on the author’s upbringing in a family which believes that “honesty is the best policy”, but takes it to an extreme. Mr. Leviton is not only an author, but an accomplished ukulele playe

We all like to think we love honesty, but we quickly come to find out we don’t like it as much as we think, especially in our personal lives. Many times we tell white lies to either save face, give encouragement (“that’s a nice drawing”), or just to be nice. The first one has a tendency to boomerang and make things worse, ( ‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave,/ When first we practice to deceive!’ – Sir Walter Scott), the last two are usually told to children but not always.

I, unfortunately, am also a “too honest” individual and cannot understand why many times people lie without a good reason, just because they can (looking at you Real Estate industry), giving up future dollars for immediate pennies. Unlike the author’s parents, I do understand the nuances of society and that sometimes being less than truthful might be an advantage.
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In the memoir To Be Honest by Michael Leviton, the author tells of his upbringing in which his parents always thought that honesty is the only way to go through life, without any nuances involved. The young Mr. Leviton couldn’t understand why his blunt honesty is not appreciated by his fellow elementary school students, or the teachers for that matter.

Throughout his life, the author realizes that this policy of total truthfulness (emphasis on “total”) has actually been a disservice by creating self-inflicted roadblocks, making life more difficult and less pleasurable.… (altro)