The Book I Can't Finish - Elliott Hopp

                I chose this book to read because the synopsis says it’s about helping teenagers and young adults deal with anxiety and depression and other things that will affect how they perceive themselves and the world around them. As someone who had experienced both depression and anxiety in my early life I was interested in seeing what kind of suggestions Mr. Hopp had for people in this situation. I’ve never been a big believer in affirmations. Looking in a mirror and repeatedly telling myself that I am smart, I am successful, I am kind, and etc. has never beaten good old fashioned hard work to achieve these things. This book is completely full of affirmations that are repeated over and over again, sometimes with different wording but having the same idea. There is lots of bold print and highlighted text (visible on my digital copy) and reading it made me feel like I was at a self-help seminar. I guess my disappointment was due to thinking this book would have more information about how to deal with anxiety and depression and not be a book full of only affirmations. However I will say that we all learn differently and for some people who find that the affirmation method works for them this book will be helpful. I’m not sure most teenage brains are developed enough to have interest in this type of book. The cover and title are quite enticing and are what drew my attention in the first place. I read this book on my ereader and it formatted well showing all of the highlighted text and bold fonts.