Happy Hour Is for Amateurs: A Lost Decade in the World's Worst Profession

Everybody college-aged or older, even at retirement age should read this book. Maybe the only people who wouldn't benefit from the incredible metathemes and greater story are those who are completely self-actualized in perfect jobs and have a perfect life. Those are the only people who may not relate to this book.

Philalawyer has taught me more about life, work, and the pursuit of happiness than most teachers have.

Every so often I a bit of literature that I can fiercely identify with. This is such a book. Looking past the chemical and carnal aids of escape employed by the author, Happy Hour is For Amateurs distinguishes itself as a brilliantly written, caustic renouncement of greed, complacency, and misguided ambitions that plague not just the legal system, but every American workplace.

To those buying this book looking for answers on the legal system; this isn't what you are looking for. Sure, there is biting commentary about everything from billable hours to gunners, but this is a book about LIFE, not just law.

Highly recommended.

I feel like a lot of the negative reviews here are missing the point of the book, and of Philalawyer's writing in general.

The book is not fundamentally about the law. I know a lot of people are probably picking it up expecting this, and some of them are bound to be disappointed. These people just probably aren't the ideal audience.

The book is tangentially about being a lawyer, but the main theme of his writings is as the summary says: "This is a book about escape."

It is as much about avoiding what comes with being a lawyer as it is about being a lawyer. As such, he could just as easily work in politics, or bankings, or ______, and it would change the details but not the story.

Philalawyer's voice is unique and of particular interest to the "Fight Club Generation." It has more in common with the voice of the narrator of Fight Club with Cochran or Darrow. It's the voice of those who are alienated in the world they are in, of the "10 percenters." The best literary predictors of whether you'll enjoy this book might be Tucker Max and Hunter S Thompson.

As such, his work is a smashing success. Just don't expert a lot of legalese.

It's not a secret that this book will not appeal to everyone. This book has actually very little to do with practicing law. It is much more about a story of a man who had ticked all the boxes for success in life by most peoples standards and yet remaining fundamentally unhappy with what he had. This book is about the author coming to the realization that you can live life on your own terms. The stories within deal with some very raw, gritty and yet hilarious topics. If you are wondering if there is something a bit more to life every Monday morning then this book is for you. One of the funniest and most honest pieces of social/life commentary I have ever read. Instant classic for a generation of 9-5ers.

This book really spoke to me. I've worked in cube farms and white collar corporate offices since I was 17, 95% of the time wishing that I was anywhere else. The author put what I was thinking and feeling into words much more clear then I could have and really made me think about my career choices, and gave me a lot of laughs on the way.

Much like his blog, there were moments where it was long winded - but I thought it was more then funny enough to make up for it and still be one of my favorite books this year.