As a lover of affirmations and books, I’m always on the lookout for a good book about spirituality, self-care, and manifesting.
One such book that caught my eye this summer is called Speak This, Not That. (The title is modeled after the “Eat This, Not That” books that helped people make better food choices when eating out.)
Because I prefer physical books, I bought a paperback copy and dove into it on our short vacation this summer. I wanted to share my thoughts and criticisms, so here is my (negative) review of Speak This, Not That by Lynn Lok-Payne.
Speak This, Not That
Let me start by saying that I usually link to Amazon for those who want to check out the book on Amazon. But I’m not going to do that here. If you want to check out the book, you’ll need to search for it yourself!
I do not recommend paying money for this book.
Author Lynn Lok-Payne
According to her website, Lynn Lok-Payne is an inspirational writer. She used to be a CEO and felt unfulfilled in her role, so she did a deep dive and… I guess she discovered that she wanted to inspire others?
I don’t know. Her biography basically stops there.
She has another book out and some resources on her website.
Summary
Each open page offers 1 limiting belief, what you should say instead, and a quote to go along with it. There is not really much to summarize, other than to say this! It’s a pretty simplistic book.
Review
Honestly, when I picked this up, I was hoping for a more comprehensive book about the words we use to speak to ourselves, others, and the Universe.
But this book is highly simplistic.
There is a lot of white space, and I would be surprised to learn if this book is more than 10,000 words. (You can see the white space in the pictures above or below. The entire book is full of pages like this.)
As an honest, hardworking blogger that attempts to give readers the best information and value I can, this is insulting. I feel like I’ve fallen victim to a money-making scheme. If I’m going to drop money on something, I want it to be valuable in my life.
Author Racial and Sexist Biases
My other primary complaint is that there were not very many quotes by women or people of color. Here was the breakdown of how many quotes there were by various race and gender groups:
- White men = 43
- Black men = 8
- White women = 10
- Black women = 7
- Asian men = 5
- Asian women = 0
- Non-binary or transgender = 0
Just so you can see how skewed this is, here are the totals for the quote counts:
- Total men = 51
- Total women = 17
- Total BIPOC = 20 (including Asian men)
- Total white = 53
Not only this, but I found some of the people Lynn chose to quote to be problematic, primarily Joel Osteen (a televangelist who is worth $100 million), Robert H Schuller (another televangelist), and Richard Wagner (who was an outspoken anti-semitic that supposedly influenced Hitler).
Actual Advice and Value
As far as the actual advice that Lynn offers, it’s decent. Lynn is both optimistic and realistic when it comes to turning around those limiting beliefs to something that you can benefit from and can alter your mindset.
For example, here is one of the pieces of advice she offers on page 22.
Limiting Belief: “I’m never going to reach my destination.”
Instead, speak this… “I can see and feel where I want to be.
Each step brings me closer to my dreams.
Happiness is the road trip, not the destination.”
I 100% agree with this. But this entire book is advice like this, which, again, you can find for free online. Does that make this book worth it?
RELATED POST: My 20 Top Affirmation Card Decks for General Use
Conclusion – Speak This Not That Review
Overall, I have to give this book 1/5 stars. Really unfortunate. Really sad.
I feel like I’ve been scammed. Judging by the amount of white space, it feels like this book is simply a way to make a book without providing much value. The actual advice isn’t bad, but you can find this online for free.
I returned the book without hesitation. I will not pay for something like this.
Let’s do better next time, Lynn. Life isn’t just about money.
What do you think? Am I being too harsh?
Have you read any affirmation books that you felt provided a great value for you?
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sarah
Tuesday 3rd of October 2023
I was happy when I stumbled upon your blog until I read this post. It seems like I am reading a review from an internet troll. I have never read the book but from what I see, its content is what is advertised on the cover. Nowhere does it say the quotes are from a diverse representation of people or that the book dives deep into understanding affirmations. As someone who works with clients daily who have never been exposed to affirmations and often had traumatic, abusive relationships, and have negative and distorted thought patterns, leading to complicated lives, this simple book would be a practical, straightforward guide to begin understanding and practicing affirmations and receiving the benefits to them. I think your review was all about you and forgot that this book was likely not intended for you but for beginners. Thank you for putting yourself out there like Lynn, but lets not put each others creative work down, especially women who should be empowering women.
Dawn Elizabeth
Saturday 7th of October 2023
I, like every other human, get triggered by things. Having my voice squashed is one such thing that triggers me, and when I see that other women are failing to lift up other women, I'm going to call them out. I hope you're calling out Lynn for not lifting up women as well, considering she used so few quotes by women in her book! You can see that I didn't completely trash the book, and said that she gave some good advice! I just think it's 2023 and it's time to do better. Lynn has not done that, plain and simple!