My review of How Psychology Works, Consultant Editor Jo, Hemmings

I am always honest with my reviews, which I have learnt is sometimes upsetting to the author. I have a responsibility not to the author who may have written a book, but to the potential readers of that book who may come across it. Okay, being differently abled to others, I am told I come across quite harsh and should perhaps be kinder to the author, but honestly some of the authors would be better using their time to repair the pot holes in the roads rather trying to write. 

 First I must declare an interest, that being that I have followed Jo Hemmings on twitter for some time now and therefore she is my twitter friend.  That is how I came to learn about this book, How Psychology Works,  for which she is the Consultant Editor.  Having said that I follow Jo, in all honesty I didn't really know what she did, I knew the label, but not much more and I really doubt that most people will actually know beyond the label. 

So, let's start with the cover of the book, yes I know you are not meant to judge a book by the cover, or so we are told, but most of us do so anyway! This cover is simple, just a head, but inside the head are, forgive the pun, headlines of what the book is about, a teaser of the treats it holds.  Now most books I have seen on the subject of Psychology, well their cover turns you off them right away and you know that they are going to be boring and so if you're at all like me, you'll leave it on the shelf and get another book.  I will make a bold statement here and say you won't with this one and if I had seen it in the book shop I wouldn't have done and while I ordered it at the same time as 3 others it was so inviting that it was the first one I turned to to read. 

I really could go into great depth about the wonders of this book and here wonders is the correct word, because I found that there was something new to learn on every page and the number of times I went Oh that makes sense, or I didn't know that, or that is why, you get the idea.  The illustrations and the writing are perfectly matched no matter where you go to and you don't have to start at the beginning and work through to the end, you probably won't want to do so any way as you might find a section that you're more interested in and go to that first.  This is the great thing about this book, you don't have to follow the order that it has been written in. 

I have already learnt so much from reading it, for example I have used terms that while in general use I didn't really know the full meaning of and another example was quite surprising to me was how retailers of all kinds use psychology to get us to buy things.  I had always thought that psychology was just about the mind and mental illness, not about emotions, reading the opening pages I quickly learnt how wrong I was about that.  

I am trying to think of any reason why I don't like this book and the truth is I can't find a negative thing to say it is that good.  I have been further trying to narrow it down as to who the readership of the book would be, who it is primarily aimed at,  I have had to conclude, that I can't do that as I think everyone would enjoy reading it.  If you are a student, teacher, parent, guardian,  I don't think there is an age range or profession that would get not find something of interest and benefit from having it in their library, not that it will remain there as many other books often do, because you'll find as I have done reaching out for it to discover something new!  

To conclude my review of this book: It is the most accessible, readable book on psychology that I have ever read and I have read a few in my years of trying to understand myself and events in my life and get clarity of them.  If I were starting that journey right now and for those who are, or those who just want to know, this is the book I would want to read and I would recommend reading first.  As much as I hate to use the term must have, this really is a must have book!  To the publisher, the contributors and the Consultant Editor Jo, thank you for a great book and I've nowt more  to say now apart from to the people who might read this, BUY IT.