UNFUCKWITHABLE: A GUIDE TO INSPIRED BADASSERY
BY LINDSAY MANFREDI
ROSE GOLD PUBLISHING LLC
8/10
MODERN DAY ANTI-SELF HELP BOOK: I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest reader. I read blogs, magazines, and the newspaper, but I’m not much of a book reader. But, most of the small number of books I do read are music and wrestling books, especially autobiographies. Unfuckwithable: A Guide to Inspired Badassery from Cold bassist Lindsay Manfredi loosely falls into those categories, though it is much more than that.
Think of Unfuckwithable: A Guide to Inspired Badassery as something of an anti-self-help book. And in case you’re wondering, Manfredi lays it out right on the first page, offering a definition of the book’s title—“Unfuckwithable (adj.) when you’re truly at peace and in touch with yourself, nothing anyone says or does bothers you, and no negativity or drama can touch you.”
Filled with inspirational and motivational quotes like, “YOU are THE most important person in your life” and “You are perfect. You HAVE TO START LOVING YOU if you want any of your dreams to come true,” personal mantras, and quotes from thinkers and philosophers, Unfuckwithable is nothing if not brutally honest. Manfredi is unabashed in talking about her health, drug use, personal struggles, thoughts, and sex life to name a few, to which she says, “I know my truth. I’ve done a million shitty things.” Through it all, she offers personal stories and examples, with suggestions of things to do in real life to help overcome and change for the better at the end of each section.
I most took to heart Manfredi’s section on overcoming laziness and lack of ambition, something I deal with on a daily basis. Her story of moving to the West Coast to play bass is inspirational. “It was not by luck or by chance that I am where I am today. It is because of the work I put into it. I know that I am the best I can be today, and tomorrow will be even greater as long as I do the work,” she writes. I also loved her story of meeting and hanging out with Incubus as well, because that’s something I can relate to in my own life. Knocking on a tour bus door is something I’ve done countless times, which led to many friendships.
Unfuckwithable: A Guide to Inspired Badassery reminds you that you are not alone, and whatever you may be going through, or dealing with in your daily life, someone else has gone through it before and emerged on the other side a stronger person. At least that was my take away.
“Be loving, be accepting, and be in the moment,” Manfredi writes.
This book is easily digestible and each and every person who reads these words should come away inspired and better than they were before they read it, which is probably the strongest attribute of Unfuckwithable: A Guide to Inspired Badassery. ~ Brian Campbell
