This is the part of the job I hate, but the only reason I started this blog in the first place was to convince someone to publish this book.

Anyway someone published Advice from Aristotle: Life Lessons from the Nicomachean Ethics: the Cascade imprint at Wipf and Stock publishers. They were really great to work with and really patient with my annoyingness, which is multiform.

Anyway here’s the Amazon link if you’re into that kind of thing:

Yes there is a cartoon of Aristotle on the cover and several other cartoons inside the book. The illustrations were done by my former student Ruvi Mercado and they’re either helpful or hilarious, and sometimes both.

The craziest part to me is that SEVERAL people that I have a LOT of respect for actually (1) read this thing and (2) liked it. Here are their full-length blurbs, for you to read in case you’re wondering about the book and for me to read when I want to have some self-esteem for once:

“Andrew Younan’s masterful Advice from Aristotle is an extraordinary book. It is fast-paced and funny, yet serene and serious; light-hearted and informal, yet passionate and precise; short, yet thorough; quite fit for a general readership, yet with reflections and formulations that experts on Aristotle’s ethics will be glad to take on board. Above all, it is chock-full of great advice on how to live a better and happier life. I recommend it to everyone, enthusiastically.”

– Stephen L. Brock, Visiting Professor, University of Chicago

“Advice from Aristotle is as wise as it is funny, and as funny as it is wise.  Aristotle comes alive in Younan’s lucid and sure-footed explanations, his unforgettable examples, and, yes, his jokes.  Younan’s book–more than any other I know–makes it clear that, in Mortimer Adler’s words, Aristotle is for everybody.  (At any rate, everybody who wants to flourish or be happy or a good person …)”

– Zena Hitz, Author of Lost In Thought:  the Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life, and Tutor at St. John’s College

“The world needs Aristotle – and Fr. Younan proves it! In this jargon-free, refreshingly honest and direct, humble yet stimulating book, he shows how one can find -with Aristotle’s help- the way to a good life. Stimulating throughout, witty and wise, this book belongs into the hands of everyone who longs for guidance.” 

– Ulrich L. Lehner, Warren Professor, University of Notre Dame

“This handbook for happiness is as clear and accurate as Aristotle could wish but written in a language – and with a sense of humor – that Homer Simpson would enjoy. A rare achievement.”

– Christopher Blum, Provost, Augustine Institute

“This is a wonderful book about the pursuit of happiness written precisely for the Average Joe. It presents the perennial wisdom of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics in a manner that is fun to read and easy to understand by non-philosophers. Its popular style aims to be clear and punchy without distorting or oversimplifying Aristotle’s teaching. Written with a somewhat ironic and jesting tone, and down-to-earth examples, it will be especially attractive to a younger audience.”

– John Goyette, Dean, Thomas Aquinas College 

“Younan’s Advice from Aristotle provides a refreshingly accessible, acerbic, and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle’s system of moral philosophy. Using seemingly banal but often hilarious examples to ground Aristotle’s discussions of highly abstract and theoretical claims in everyday experiences affords readers plenty of opportunities to apply the titular advice to their own lives. Rigorous but fun, Advice from Aristotle is a must read for anyone interested in living a more fulfilling life.”  

– Kristopher G. Phillips Associate Professor of Philosophy, Southern Utah University; Co-Editor of Arrested Development & Philosophy

“Since Aristotle emphasizes the importance of “finding a balance,” it’s fitting that Advice from Aristotle strikes the perfect balance of clarity, humor, and accessibility on the one hand and careful representation of the original Aristotelian spirit on the other. Whether it’s someone’s first time encountering Aristotle or their hundredth, Advice from Aristotle is sure to inspire readers to appreciate the broad applicability of Aristotle’s ideas to 21st-century life.”

– Cassie L. Finley, Angry Doctoral Candidate in Philosophy, University of Iowa