Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?: And What to Do About It

James Downton, Jr., PhD
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2008)
ISBN 9781934759028
Reviewed by Dr. Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (3/08)


A fictional character called “Dr. Bob, the Happiness Coach” creates “Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?”  Dr. Bob gives the reader several stories from his days as a university instructor, as well as uses his stand-up comedian humor to let us know that happiness is not something we find. Each story gives true-life examples of blaming others, guilt trips, self-pity and lying. 

Through modeling and asking the right questions, Dr. Bob is able to get others to think about how they sabotage their own happiness and that of others around them. Although his techniques are not new to the “self-help’ books, his humor makes the reader really look at how they are unhappy campers and thrive on it. Everyone from teenagers to the mature audience will enjoy this book. What I really appreciated about the book was that the author didn’t attempt to give readers the impression he was the “guru” of self-help. He only gave the impression that his suggestions have worked for countless others.

Being a Psychologist, I have certainly heard this type of self-help technique before, however, while reading the book I could laugh and point to myself in ways that I have made myself unhappy. “Why Am I So DAMN Unhappy?” is very light-hearted reading, but you get the point. What turned me off was the way it seemed too easy to become a happy person and in the times the author uses “bluntness” my thoughts were “what damage would this do to a vulnerable person?”

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