Everything about Tom Ferry strikes me as wrong.  Starting with the very first anecdote in his book, about a woman who he noticed "sobbing throughout one of my presentations."  And not an emotional presentation, but an "uplifting and inspirational sales training course."  

The first thing he asks Mary is whether she is married.  The second thing he asks is whether she has kids. On the third question he strikes gold.  Mary's "sobs became loud wails" as she admitted that she didn't feel she was spending enough time with her kids.  The question "nearly brought her to her knees."

Time out.  This is a sensitive topic, women balancing career and family needs.  Ferry immediately pushes Mary back into the family fold.  Aside from the fact that I strongly suspect this entire anecdote is a fictional construct, I take exception to Ferry's manhandling of the situation.  Which is to blame Mary for seeking a career, and to assert that all of her unhappiness can be cured by telling her to spend more time with the kids.

I have no doubt that Tom Ferry is an exceptionally talented and charismatic speaker.  You would expect him to be, given that he has a strong background in real estate.  But I'm going to be generous and suggest that he doesn't translate well to the page.  Despite the assistance of a co-author who helped him write it.

The language in the book is clunky and cluttered.  It's conservative in a "freshman college term paper" sort of way.  It picks its way through sentences slowly and deliberately, with a plodding style that belies the goofiness of the mid-sentence exclamation point in the title.

A surprising amount of "LIFE! By Design" is about Tom Ferry.  Pages and pages are spent on Ferry's childhood escapades, his search for a wife, how he himself pondered the very questions of existence.  

I'm stumped as to the reason why so much of the book is devoted to the question of Tom Ferry.  It's like going to a therapy session and having the therapist spend half the session telling you about their childhood.  A self help book should be primarily about the reader.  That's kind of the point, you know?

Except that I have the distinct impression that everything Tom Ferry does is about Tom Ferry.  "LIFE! By Design" strikes me as an elaborate sales pitch for Tom Ferry.  He's building a cult of personality, one $9.95 check at a time.  

The entire first chapter is all about Tom Ferry.  At the end of the chapter, the reader is urged to visit his website and watch a video.  

I watched the video.  I tried not to be distracted by Ferry's unmistakably "real estate salesman" appearance - the overly orange tan, the constant and impeccably scripted hand movements, the combination of French cuffs and no necktie, the repeated use of the phrase "You and I both know..."  

I can't mince words: this guy reeks of bullshit.  I found myself rolling my eyes over and over again.  From his assertion that he was incredibly successful, to his pious claim that 9/11 changed his life, it was all just way too much.  

I imagine there are a lot of people who eat up Tom Ferry's routine with a spoon.  Me, I choked on it.