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How to Be Human: The Manual

By: Ruby Wax
Narrated by: Ruby Wax, Ash Ranpura, Gelong Thubten
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Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of How to be Human: The Manual written and read by Ruby Wax with Ash Ranpura and Gelong Thubten.

It took us 4 billion years to evolve to where we are now. No question, anyone reading this has won the evolutionary Hunger Games by the fact you're on all twos and not some fossil. This should make us all the happiest species alive, yet most of us aren't. What's gone wrong? We've started treating ourselves more like machines and less like humans. We're so used to upgrading things like our iPhones: as soon as the new one comes out, we don't think twice, we dump it. (Many people I know are now on iWife4 or iHusband8, the motto being, if it's new, it's better.)

We can't stop the future from arriving, no matter what drugs we're on. But even if nearly every part of us becomes robotic, we'll still, fingers crossed, have our minds, which, hopefully, we'll be able to use for things like compassion rather than chasing what's 'better', and if we can do that we're on the yellow brick road to happiness.

I wrote this book with a little help from a monk, who explains how the mind works and also gives some mindfulness exercises, and a neuroscientist who explains what makes us 'us' in the brain. We answer every question you've ever had about evolution, thoughts, emotions, the body, addictions, relationships, kids, the future and compassion. How to be Human is extremely funny, true and the only manual you'll need to help you upgrade your mind as much as you've upgraded your iPhone.

©2017 Ruby Wax (P)2017 Penguin Audio
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What listeners say about How to Be Human: The Manual

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good listen!

First heard about his book on under the skin podcasts, enjoyed every minute and liked how it was split up, has similarities to JBP 12 rules which I loved too!

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very informative.

loved it! simplified mental health issues. good intro to mindfulness. Ruby Wax and the other authors were amusing and serious

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I loved it

I was listening to Radio 2 and Ruby was on talking about her book, I thought it sounded interesting. I don't generally have time to read books so thought I'd try my first ever audiobook. I've finished the book in five days travelling to work. It's been an interesting book. Ruby is great how she puts things into words and says it how it is. She's made me laugh out loud. I loved hearing all the sciencey bits too, I think it helps you understand. There's lots of good information and practices. I was totally engrossed in the last chapter on forgiveness. Its given me a new found appreciation of Ruby. I highly recommend the book if you are interested in mindfulness x

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    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable listen and perspective

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this and the insights it gave as well as the meditations. Would definitely recommend

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book

I have listened to all of Ruby Wax's audible books, and this is by far my favourite one. Its an amalgamation of all of the books with the bonus of The Monk and The Neuroscientist. She has helped me to learn how to tame my mind and the story's it creates. I've always loved Ruby and her sense of humour, and with her narrating the book it brings the essence her book to life.

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I'm really enjoying this book!

Easy to listen, interesting and is being narrated with a pinch of salt.
The additional comments from a monk and neuroscience doctor adds lots of value to the book.

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Brilliant

I bought this book as I was curious to find out more after reading the reviews. I was not disappointed. It is a honest look into our evolution and where we are now. The narration was excellant, delivered with that dry wit which we all know Ruby Wax for. I loved the input from Ruby's experts. They both added professional and personal information which brought theories to life. I'm eager to start my own mindfulness training to help me manage the challenges this life can throw at us. Fantastic book Ruby and co. I will certainly look into your other works. Thank you

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great content - mediocre performances

The content of the book is really great and it was interesting to understand how our emotions and feelings have developed and changed over time. What brought down my score was Ruby Wax’s performance. I’m usually a fan of Ruby but the conversations she had when she was speaking with the Monk and Neuroscientist really grated on me. She cut them off short when they were saying relevant things and it was scripted not funny. I persevered and did enjoy the lessons but don’t think I’ll listen to an audio book by Ruby again. Maybe opt for the book.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic and heart warming

I loved his audiobook. Ruby Wax is incredibly talented in being able to make me chuckle out loud on the train, but also to really trigger some thought and introspection. I've recommended this book to all my friends and family, and found that it really helped bring my mind some peace!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Awesome, thought provoking and well put together. A book everyone needs to read if they want to better understand how their mind works.

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