Publisher’s write-up:
‘For more than a quarter of a century, Murphy’s
Law has provided the last word on things going wrong. Positive thinking is all
very fine when the world is treating you right, but when things go awry, it's
Murphy's Law that comes up with the goods-the pithy revelations and undeniable
truths that document our limitless potential for misplaced insight, hopeless
wit, and pessimistic wisdom.
This special anniversary collection features the best
of Murphy's Law--plus new 21st-century entries proving that with advances in
technology, even more can go wrong.
For example:
No matter what goes wrong, there is always somebody
who knew it would.
Anything is easier to take apart than to put together.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite
criticism.
The less you do, the less can go wrong.
Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter since nobody
listens.’
Murphy’s Law is
a hilarious take on why things go wrong;
compiled by the American writer Arthur Bloch. I make a lot of statements and
hold certain views which are often deemed highly pessimistic (even though I
take cover under the word pragmatic) and yes, needless to say, a certain friend
of mine relentlessly suggested this book. It was felt that I would definitely
like it and as I could relate to the book a lot and I did get a killer of an
offer for the Kindle edition at INR 31 (~0.41 EUR) and before too long, I
started reading the book.
Have you ever
wanted to fish something out of a bag, where there might be three possible
things you might draw and what you want would come to you only the third time? This
book is a collection of one liners (or maximum of four) as to why things go
wrong, some of which are sensible and relatable, some of which are outright
pessimistic and a few are just needless smart alec comments which could get you
into trouble if you actually go about making those statements to the intended
(such as your boss). It covers on most common subjects, as to why things go
wrong, such as technology, office, hierarchy, economics, government,
bureaucracy, etc.
I liked the way
in which the book was presented, collecting some popular quotes (though I don’t
know as to how much of it was the author’s imagination) and sometimes, for a
purely positive quote, providing a negative corollary to explain why things go
wrong. I also felt the author covered almost all topics where the reader could
link to at least 15 out of the 20 chapters in the book. It was also a book
where I highlighted a lot, at least around a hundred statements made in the
book, and incidentally, some of them were things that I had said it myself in
the past (such as my views on plagiarism).
The flipside of
this book is also the fact that it wasn’t too detailed, just a collection of
one liners, with absolutely no elaboration. Additionally, some of the situations he quoted
are those which you find as a nuisance only when something goes wrong for you –
for instance, to quote the argument of Richard Dawkins – ‘certain class of events may occur all the time, but are only noticed
when they become a nuisance. He gives as an example aircraft noise interfering
with filming. Aircraft are in the sky all the time, but are only taken note of
when they cause a problem.’
This was a
really enjoyable read, and also very quick to read, but a note of caution is that
this is not something that is to be read with a serious frame of mind. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I am sure that most readers would, too,
because the situations are something that we have encountered ourselves. It is
an occasion where I have really enjoyed a book that came as a suggestion and on
the whole I would award the book a rating of eight.
Rating – 8/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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