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To Be Honest
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
8 posts | 6 read | 13 to read
A memoir about one mans strange upbringing in a family fanatically devoted to honesty Raised in what he affectionately calls our little honesty cult, Michael Leviton was ingrained with his parents core philosophy: You do not tell any lies; you do not withhold the truth; and you speak your mind always, regardless of how offensive or hurtful your opinions may be. For young Michael, this freedom to be yourselfdespite being bullied and ostracized at schoolfelt liberating. By the time Leviton was 29 years old, he had told three (what most people would consider) lies in his entire life. But his parents enthusiasm for just being honest bordered on extreme. After Michael graduated high school and left home, truth tellingin job interviews, on dates, in social interactionsslowly lost its luster. When the only woman who ever appreciated his honesty brought this radical approach to truth into their relationship, Michael decided it was time to embrace the power of lying. To Be Honest is a quirky, tender, and wry story of a man discovering what it means and how it feels to lie in ones daily life.
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WanderingBookaneer
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WanderingBookaneer @Gissy and @gibblr : You may find this one interesting from a psychological perspective. 3y
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review
Megabooks
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Pickpick

Could you imagine never telling a small lie? Never sparing another‘s feelings? That‘s the toxically honest upbringing Michael had. His family had this completely strange culture of telling NO lies. They even befuddled Ira Glass! Honestly 😉, this was wild! Part 1 about his childhood and part 3 about learning to tell social lies as an adult were fascinating, but he loses points for part 2: a detailed slog through a failed relationship. #audiobook

Megabooks @Cinfhen this one is from #hoopla. As I said above, for me, it‘s a pick with reservations due to part 2, but it has a 4.4⭐️ rating on hoopla and 4⭐️ rating on the storygraph, but for me it was more in the 3.25-3.5⭐️ range. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I will admit to finding relationship drama less interesting than most readers. 3y
Cinfhen I had an #AudioARC for this one - agree, his childhood/ adolescence section was just bonkers ( although his dad‘s behavior towards lying boarded on abuse) and I remember there was a part were it dragged. His interactions with authority figures (teachers, employers) was hilarious 😂 3y
Cinfhen Was this the book where the family goes to summer therapy camp?? 3y
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Chelsea.Poole This is on my tbr. So extreme! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen Yes, this is that one with the terrible family therapy camp!! And yes, his interactions with authority were BANANAS! 3y
Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole We truly are book 👯‍♀️! It‘s definitely an interesting one! 3y
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britt_brooke
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leviton was raised not to lie, but that‘s oversimplifying. It‘s his family‘s unnecessary, unyielding honesty that reeks of arrogance and elitism. If always brutally honest, you bypass many acceptable social norms (i.e. it‘s important not to be a dick 24/7). He says, “In my family, silence was suffering, confession was connection, and criticism was love.” Such a cold way for a child to thrive. It‘s amazing he can now maintain relationships.

STORYBOOK-CAFE Disregarding the truth for any reason, is a disservice to all mankind. 4y
Cinfhen It was a cruel childhood which made for a difficult adulthood ☹️another wonderful review. 4y
STORYBOOK-CAFE I guess I don't get it. Constantly lying through life just to appease others means all your life you will only feel incomplete. That seems far more cruel to me than telling the truth always. If other people are too weak to handle that truth, or have a different truth than your own, you probably shouldn't be sharing the same orbit. What good is a life concealed or hidden? 4y
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Cinfhen It wasn‘t disregarding the truth @STORYBOOK-CAFE he was taught to answer EVERY question without regard for others feelings, beliefs,social niceties or truths. Most questions are not simple or straightforward/ if asked an opinion it‘s difficult to state a true response because there really isn‘t one. We‘ve been taught to answer with tact or diplomacy/ the author was not. 4y
Cinfhen As a child he was constantly budding heads with teachers and people of authority because he was taught to speak the truth, so he would tell them without any qualms what he thought of their intelligence, policies, ideas, assignments~ you can imagine that didn‘t go over well. 4y
STORYBOOK-CAFE @Cinfhen No we've been taught not to be true to ourselves. To be tolerant and weak and afraid to speak our own minds. Most answers to questions ARE simple and straightforward, we have MADE them complicated by attaching all these ridiculous rules to them. Saying what you believe isn't wrong just because someone else might tell you it is. If people were just honest about how they feel, without the lies, the world would be in a lot less trouble. 4y
STORYBOOK-CAFE @Cinfhen So because those people were offended that makes him the wrong? I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Just because they can't handle it, doesn't mean he shouldn't have been honest. Quite the contrary. 4y
Cinfhen I don‘t think life is black and white answers @STORYBOOK-CAFE and it wasn‘t about offending people, there was a cruelty involved 4y
Cinfhen Maybe you should read/ listen to the book/audio and see if you still feel the same way @STORYBOOK-CAFE I think what the parents did was abusive in certain aspects - he suffered throughout his life/ he wasn‘t able to make friends, hold a job, develop relationship 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Thank you, Cindy, and I agree with everything you‘ve said here. 💯 4y
britt_brooke @STORYBOOK-CAFE To fully understand this particular upbringing and how it both positively and negatively affected his life, I recommend reading the book. It‘s not so clear cut as truth vs lies. And many times, his parents didn‘t treat him like a kid at all. There‘s much more to this. (edited) 4y
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crazyspine
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Bailedbailed

I really tried, but I bailed with 2 out of 7 hours left in the book. I actually am a fan of Leviton's album, My Favorite Place to Drown which is probably the only reason why I got so far in this book. I can only take so much of a privileged white man telling anecdote after anecdote of where he was d!$& to people, and how it negatively affected his relationships and ability to maintain a job.

BookishMarginalia I just started this, and I have a feeling I‘m going to feel the same way. 4y
crazyspine @Bookishmarginalia A lot of people like it, so maybe you will too. 4y
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blurb
Texreader
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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https://lithub.com/how-honest-is-too-honest-6-books-that-straddle-that-line/

Brenda Ueland‘s book, If You Want to Write, seemed to me like the most approachable

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Cinfhen
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Pickpick

Honestly (😉) that was a super fun memoir. Ever watch the Jim Carrey movie LIAR LIAR , where a lying attorney is forced to only speak the truth for 24 hours....well Michael Leviton was raised in a home where feelings were never spared, diplomacy never considered and all out honesty was served daily. Insightful and thought provoking. #ARC #AUDIO #NetGalley

Reviewsbylola I may be listening to this one next. 😎 4y
Cinfhen It‘s good @Reviewsbylola took a bit of time to appreciate the subject matter as something more serious 4y
britt_brooke Just started this! 4y
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Cinfhen Oh, this was light but still insightful and amusing. I think you‘ll like it @britt_brooke 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Enjoying it so far. I feel bad for this guy. What an odd upbringing. 4y
Cinfhen Such a strange household/ I remember the grandparents ( grandmother) was endearing though @britt_brooke (edited) 4y
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quote
Cinfhen
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Hmmmmm, thoughts?!!
“I didn‘t like confidentiality. I considered privacy dishonest.”
This memoir is really thought provoking
A good blend of levity and seriousness.
#ARC #AUDIO #NetGalley

Suet624 I can really relate to this. 4y
saresmoore Could not disagree more with this. 🙃 4y
Cinfhen I‘m not sure how I feel about this quote @Suet624 @saresmoore I think I can appreciate/ understand both of your statements xx 4y
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blurb
Cinfhen
To Be Honest | Michael Leviton
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Hilarious but poignant. Michael Leviton was raised in a home he affectionately calls a “Little Honesty Cult”. Truth telling was paramount; no sugarcoating, no holding back, well... NO lying. #ARC #Audio #NetGalley #KindergartenHypocrite

Kalalalatja It sounds good on paper, but I can imagine how brutal honesty can lead to so many conflicts 😅 4y
Cinfhen Exactly @Kalalalatja imagine NO FILTER EVER!!!!! it‘s interesting because at times this boarders on cruelty 4y
Kalalalatja I‘m not really sure it is healthy either. I mean, it must make it hard to form relationships with others, and I imagine you would end up pissing a lot of people off! 4y
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