If you've ever been up shit creek in a barbed wire canoe, you'll know that you long for a way out. You're depressed, your bum hurts, and you feel like a fool. A paddle would do you no good at all. Sometimes, you feel you can't talk to anyone about it. What you need are strategies, which is what this book gives you. You probably don't need a long, thick, complicated book (this one is not - I aimed to do it in around a hundred pages), and you could probably do with a laugh or at least a smile (I hope you get one here). Shit has become an everyday word. Like the 'F' word, it is now in the common vernacular as a way to express ourselves. Usually, nobody is offended (well, not much anyway, and if they're too 'poopy' about it, they're a shit). If things do give you the shits, this little book can be beneficial to help you cope with shit, whether it's an accident, stress, anxiety, depression, a shitty relationship, irritating relatives, shit at work, or shit in the world at large. This is only an introduction to coping with shit. If it doesn't help and you're not dealing with it, get help.

本書は、絶望の淵を「有刺鉄線のカヌー」という鮮烈な比喩で描き出し、読者の心に深く刺さる救済の書です。著者のミュリエル・クーパーは、あえて卑俗な言葉を使いながら、メンタルヘルスの問題をタブー視せず、人間が直面する痛みを真っ向から肯定します。この剥き出しの誠実さこそが、虚飾に満ちた現代を生き抜くための最高の武器なのです。 難解な専門書とは一線を画す、百ページに凝縮された「笑い」と「戦略」の調和は実に見事です。どん底で孤独を感じる魂に対し、著者はユーモアという名の希望を手渡してくれます。悲劇を軽やかに笑い飛ばす文学的カタルシスは、読後、あなたの冷え切った視界を確実に明るく塗り替えてくれることでしょう。