I thought I would enjoy this book much more than I did. Maybe it is because I had such high expectations, but the tone was very patronizing to me (maybe that was due to the narrator I listened to, but I think it was the text itself). The author repeated himself again and again. Basically, you could sum up the book by saying, "Allow everyone in your life to be a complete, self-centered jerk and never speak up for yourself" or something like that. Anyway, I did find some value in the advice to not argue with people. I can see how that would be helpful, but it does seem strange to agree with something that you know to be false (as in the example he gives about the person who says a quote came from the Bible instead of Shakespeare...Carnegie's advice is to tell the person that is incorrect about the quote being from the Bible that he's right. That makes no sense.) I'd really like to have the time back that I spent listening to this book, though I can at least say I'm glad I've read it now and never need to again.

I would retitle this “How to be a people pleaser for neurotypical people”. It was not all bad though.

⭐️3.5

honestly, if you’re looking for something life changing … maybe look else where? but that could just be me because one has told me how much they love this book. i think towards the end there was some advice where i was like uhhhh … im not gonna do that or some things where i was like thats just common courtesy (so maybe the advice is a bit dated?? idk)

at no point does he mention how you can win friends but dapping them up so that’s was a missed opportunity. all in all not bad would i have finished the book if it weren’t for it being the book for this month book club? no.

the oh-so-cringeworthy title has kept me away for years, in spite of many endorsements from people that I trust.
in spite of the bad title, it's really a super early (and surprisingly still in line with current research I've read) book about usefully applying emotional intelligence and empathy. Bonus: since it was written in 1936 with a very conversational tone with contemporary language, it's kind of fun to read: comes across a bit like a radio commercial.

You can basically sum this book with this: be kind/smile, everyone cares most about themselves, and remember that everyone wants to feel important. Perhaps more groundbreaking at the time of this classic's publishing, I found this book to be very common sensical with a tone I best perceive as pretentious. Still, I suppose the principles discussed in this book are a good starting point for those completely unaware of how to win friends and influence people.