Help Me! Book Summary - Help Me! Book explained in key points
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Help Me! summary

Marianne Power

One Woman's Quest to Find Out If Self-Help Really Can Change Her Life

4.1 (189 ratings)
28 mins
Table of Contents

    Help Me!
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    A nasty hangover kicked off Marianne’s quest for perfection.

    Can you think back to moments that made you reevaluate a situation and gave you just the push you needed to make a change? Maybe an unreasonable request from your boss helped you finally quit a job you hated? Or a chance meeting inspired you to move and start a new chapter in your life?

    We all come to turning points like these. For Marianne, it was a painful Sunday morning after a night of drinking. 

    The key message here is: A nasty hangover kicked off Marianne’s quest for perfection.

    While she grappled with a pounding headache and a queasy stomach, anxiety and feelings of failure took center stage. Even though she felt fortunate to be making a good living as a freelance writer in London, the 36-year-old was unhappy.

    Marianne’s friends and peers seemed to be moving forward in life. They were getting married, starting families, and buying houses. But without a partner, a house to her name, or a plan for the future, Marianne felt stuck in a rut.

    And it wasn’t the first time. 

    More than 10 years before, Marianne had been miserable in her job. So she’d turned to a self-help book for guidance. The book surprised her. It gave her the confidence to leave her job and jumpstart her journalism career. After that, Marianne was hooked on self-help. She read any and every book that promised more money, the love of her life, and career success.

    Except none of those things materialized. Despite all the self-help she devoured, Marianne’s finances never improved. Her dream man was nowhere to be seen. Sure, she had a successful career, but this was all down to a work ethic driven by fear.

    Then, on that hungover Sunday, Marianne had not one, but two, lightbulb moments.

    First, she realized that all the time she’d been reading self-help books, she’d never acted on the advice they gave her. This, she thought, was why her life hadn’t changed. Then the second lightbulb went on: if she started doing self-help instead of simply reading it, then she wouldn’t be unhappy. Far from it – she’d be perfect! 

    And so Marianne decided to read one self-help book a month for a year and implement everything she learned.

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    What is Help Me! about?

    Help Me! (2018) is a record of one woman’s mission to fix her life through self-help books, from the day she finally said “enough” to the thrilling highs and abysmal lows. These blinks share the money, life, and relationship lessons she uncovered – and how they impacted her.

    Best quote from Help Me!

    It felt good to become much clearer on what I really did want.

    —Marianne Power
    example alt text

    Who should read Help Me!?

    • People interested in personal development
    • Self-help enthusiasts
    • Anyone who enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary

    About the Author

    Marianne Power is a journalist and speaker based in London, England. She’s been published in newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph and the Irish Independent and has also written for magazines including Grazia, Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping.

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