Cover Image: Empathy for the Devil

Empathy for the Devil

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Member Reviews

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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According to Jerry, all the problems in the world are the fault of men who have suppressed their feminine side. Hmm.
I don’t know what I expected from this book, having never heard of Jerry Hyde before, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t this. Like a sweaty, boozy and drugged-up version of Vex King, Jerry is Matt Haig with tattoos and a rather more colourful history. Sigmund Freud in a head-on collision with the Sleaford Mods.
This book didn’t resonate with me in any way, but it may be of interest to those who prefer their self-help books to have the subtlety of flying bricks. I found it to be badly-written and seemingly designed only to shock and provoke. There is much talk of “demons” or “daimons” and how we can make them work for us in our daily lives, but this reads like nonsense hoping to be meaningful. Jerry Hyde comes across like a council-estate Aleister Crowley and I cannot recommend his book.

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