Rules of Disorder: on the American obsession with self-help books. “If the German craves discipline, the Italian
loves women, and the Russian lusts for vodka,
what does the American desire? Freedom comes
to mind, but judging by our cultural exports —
and the choice between Coke and Pepsi
notwithstanding — it’s not absurd for foreigners
to conclude that what Americans really love are
rules. Stretching from Dale Carnegie to Dr. Spock
to Ellen Fein, the modern tradition of rule-based
self-help books has edged out the short story as
the nation’s greatest contribution to world
literature.” Feed