How To Survive When The Bottom Falls Out by JT Sather

Despite not being a fan of 'how-to' books, this was really a very enjoyable read. ‘Enjoyable’ may seem a misnomer when someone has suffered from homelessness, near death and impecuniosity, but JT is like a bouncing ball, a boomerang—he has an incredibly optimistic, half-full-glass attitude to life, and despite his ups and quite a lot of undesirable downs, he emerges positive and down-to-earth. His experiences have taught him about perspective: for example, ‘things’ can be replaced, memories can’t; like and love yourself: if you don’t, you can’t expect anyone else to respect you. 

As the title suggests, JT maps out a twenty-point advisory guide to help you keep your head above water when life turns around and smacks you in the face rather rudely. But I found his counsel more of a guide to life, full stop. His outlook is always bright, life is short and it’s no rehearsal. Have fun, make sure you have a story to tell, get out more and do things for yourself: if you don’t, what use will you be to anyone else? 

Whether or not you approve of JT’s solutions to his predicaments (quite a lot of booze and women are involved!), there is absolutely no doubt that his philosophies and strategies work. He’s upbeat, positive, compassionate, genial and just the sort of person you’d want to have sitting next to you on a barstool when you’re supping a beer, drowning one sorrow or twenty. 

JT has a delightful turn of phrase: he’s witty, he’s funny, practical, and sensible. Any other how-to guide I read will have to be written by him.