3.5 ⭐️

This was a nice introduction into Stoicism for beginners. Joseph Piercy deep dives into the history and pioneers of Stoicism while adding personal touches and interpretations, which contributes to easy reading and comprehension.

While it’s appreciated that Piercy took this route, I struggled with the pacing being a “non-beginner” of Stoicism. Towards the last few chapters, the history lessons ceased, and I was reengaged and enlightened by the new information and ways to implement Stoicism into my daily life.

I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re an advanced practitioner of Stoicism. But if you’re looking for a great introduction or need a refresher into Stoicism, then I would 100% recommend it. Especially the audiobook! It’s a nice morning drive to work listening. Michael Page’s narration was captivating and great. His voice was elegant and enhanced the teaching perfectly. He did a 5⭐️ performance.

Thank you, Tantor Audio & NetGalley for my advance audiobook copy. All opinions are my own.

The Little Book of Stoic Wisdom
By Joseph Piercy
(Audiobook) Spirituality/Self-Development

Based on the subtitle, “Learn the Art of Living Well with Classical Philosophy,” I expected more about how to apply Stoic practices to modern life. What I got was a history lesson, an endless series of quotes from the great philosophers, and a narrator who came across as somewhat condescending. There was way too much history and not enough application in this “little book.”

the little book of Stoic wisdom by Joseph Piercy review
nonfiction philosophy

thank you NetGalley and Tantor Media for giving me an audio ARC in exchange for a review.

the title is very clear on what a reader might expect in its contents. It is a little book and it covers the true core of stoicism. This book is structured very logically, following a chronological retelling of stoic history and sharing its wonderous high within Greece and ancient roman philosophy. Piercy, a knowledgeable UK philosopher, then goes on with making his own translation of what a stoic lifestyle could mean in this day and age and what it would definitely not mean. I could agree with most of his point, however, as a fellow philosopher, I also remain critical at points. I would argue that the list Piercy shares at the last bit of the book could be risky, as readers can still cherry-pick their new habits and discard others as something that isn’t as valuable to them in their current lifestyle, even if Piercy connects them all.
Overall, I think this book is perfect for those who want to learn what stoicism is, as Piercy conveys this information to readers in bitesize pieces and accessible language. However, by making this translation into easy to understand information Piercy still manages to convey the nuances of stoicism; something other more mainstream (and definitely non-philosophers) cannot seem to achieve. Piercy also is open about his sources, which are all very credible, so I can guarantee the reader that the information in this book is all accurate.
Also, the audiobook was an absolutely enjoyable experience, as the narrator had an excellent voice who could convey the information with such clarity. It was an amazing choice to go with him for this book. The calmness and clarity added much to the experience!
If you were ever curious about philosophy and wanted a good introduction into stoicism, definitely try to pick up this book (I recommend the audiobook)!

Thanks to Tantor Media | Tantor Audio, the author and NetGalley for a LRC in return for an honest review

I expected to enjoy this book but unfortunately the writing was incredibly dry. I started to lose interest as the book progressed and the only reason I didn't DNF is because the audiobook is only 2 hours and 41 minutes long.

In short, not for me.

Should've been no stars.

#TheLittleBookofStoicWisdom #NetGalley

“ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴇᴀꜱʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴏɴᴅᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ, ᴅɪᴠɪꜱɪᴏɴꜱ, ʜᴀᴛʀᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴠɪᴛʀɪᴏʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏɴꜰʀᴏɴᴛ ᴜꜱ ᴏɴ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ ᴅᴀɪʟʏ ʙᴀꜱɪꜱ. ꜱᴏ, ɪꜰ ᴀ ꜰᴇᴡ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴜʟᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʀᴛᴜᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ, ᴛᴏʟᴇʀᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ ᴇᴍʙᴏᴅɪᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜱᴛᴏɪᴄɪꜱᴍ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ.”

My husband had gotten very into studying the stoics this year and we’ve had some great discussions, so when I saw this audio pop up on Netgalley I requested it immediately. As you see from the quote I shared above, stoicism is a beautiful way to approach life. This starts with a deep dive into the backgrounds of the stoics themselves. Then has a few chapters on advice for the modern life.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters that gave backstory on the stoics I felt like it attempted to pack too much into 224 pages and missed quite a few marks. Not bad, but just lacking something.

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑⭐️
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲!

(advanced copy quotes may be different than finished but I hope not!)

This book had big shoes to fill. The concept- a mini guide to thriving in the modern world using historical concepts- intrigued me. The cover was elegant, the summary exciting, and the narrator has an amazing voice.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the experience really came together. The first half of the book is spent recounting the historical background behind stoicism and the main actors. I got lost in the weeds of such a condensed historical recounting of an entire era-- it was similar to "Lives of the Stoics" by Ryan Holiday with little side quests of fun stories sprinkled in. But unlike "Lives of the Stoics," I wasn't mentally prepared for the historical content or for the pacing.

By the time I finally reengaged with the text, there were only a handful of chapters remaining. To be fair these delivered on the initial promise of advice for the modern life, but it left me wanting so much more from this book.

This is one of the few times were I think the book might be fully appreciated as written word, instead of an audiobook-- simply to allow the readers to come back time and again for small chunks of pick-me-up wisdom.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Media for providing this ARC-audiobook. All opinions, as always, are my own.

I was disappointed when I realized how short this was but then I was blown away by the content. Piercy gives the historical background behind stoicism and then goes on to explain the philosophy and show how it can be applied in life.
"It is what it is" is certainly simplistic but is a good illustration of why I and so many people find stoicism attractive. Bad things happen but being able to accept that those events are outside of us makes life easier. Piercy uses great examples, and the narration is fantastic.