Book Reviews: Stoicism by Abel Gray

Happy Monday! Another week has begun. Frankly, I’m not really in the mood for it. Given my current attitude, there’s some irony in the book which I am reviewing today: Stoicism: Be a Stoic, Live a Life of Joy and Cure Anxiety by Using Ancient Wisdom (The Happiness and Optimism of a Good Life) by Abel Gray.

Stoicism by Abel Gray is, as the title implies, a book about the Ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism and how it can be used to change your way of thinking and how you approach life for the better. In addition to explaining stoicism and how to use it in the modern day, Abel Gray explains the origins of the philosophy, how it has evolved over the centuries, and how it is used by today’s leaders and military.

Stoicism is not a light read. It’s full of philosophical terminology, history, and Ancient Greek names which can be hard to pronounce. Still, the lessons on positive thinking and not relying on destructible things (such as material goods and jobs) for happiness are useful even for those who aren’t into philosophy or history. The author mentions how large a role philosophy plays in the earlier parts of the book and even suggests that readers looking only for self-help start with chapter ten or twelve. (If that’s all you’re looking for, I actually recommend that you start with chapter eleven, which explains the importance and use of stoicism.) I just think that readers won’t get the most out of this book if they follow that strategy.

I found the history of stoicism incredibly interesting, but I had to read a few parts repeatedly to understand the explanations of the philosophy. I’m big into philosophical ideas and grew intrigued with the basic principles of stoicism as I read more of Abel Gray’s work. I am particularly focused on the idea that our perception, not external factors, makes our happiness. Nevertheless, I’m not much into philosophical terminology and often get lost if I don’t take my time with this sort of reading. Others may not have this problem, but those who do should really give themselves time to read and fully digest the first ten chapters of this book. I also don’t recommend it for nighttime reading; it’s much harder to concentrate then.

I think that the only true hindrance for the readability of Stoicism is the structure. There seems to be two books at work in these brief 168 pages, one which discusses the history and principles of stoicism and one which shows how we can use stoicism. The introduction somewhat connects the two concepts, but I don’t feel that it frames the work well enough. The subtitle for Stoicism implies that this is a self-help book focused on that philosophy. However, the principles and historical evolution far outweigh the self-help section. Expanding the introduction and the self-help section as well as weaving the history and principles in with the self-help tips would have improved the structure immensely and made the work more palatable for those who aren’t really into the technical terms.

Overall, Abel Gray’s writing is smooth, polished, and easy to follow—as easy as this subject allows, that is. I only noticed a couple proofreading errors, which indicates professional editing to me. I believe that the principles of stoicism are explained well and the connections they have with modern, everyday life are good food for thought. The history is fascinating and helps set the stage for the principles; I found the influence of stoicism on Christianity to be particularly captivating. However, the structure does the work no favors. I worry that Abel Gray will lose readers partway through because the volume of information is so staggering all at once, especially for a self-help book, yet I also think that readers will miss out if they skip straight to the self-help section.

If you have an interest in philosophy, history, and/or exploring new approaches to happiness, I highly recommend Abel Gray’s Stoicism. Just remember that even though it’s less than 200 pages, it’s a lot of information and will take a while to read and digest properly.

You can find Stoicism by Abel Gray as an e-book and in paperback on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can work something out.