Rating: 5/5 stars – must read!

As time marches on, human beings adapt—but that isn’t always a good thing. According to Swipe: The Science Behind Why We Don’t Finish What We Start by Tracy Maylett and Tim Vandehey, the rapid acceleration of technology in the past few decades has exacerbated a fight or flight coping mechanism that the authors call “Swiping.” Throughout the book, the authors take a detailed look at this harmful behavior and how it is slowly spreading its tendrils into every part of our world. 

Though I’m not a big non-fiction reader, the title of this book intrigued me. I wanted to know more about how phones and social media impact human behavior. And though the content of this book turned out to be quite different than what I expected, I was not at all disappointed. From the very first page, Swipe proved to be a thoroughly engaging, easy-to-read book that’s packed full of interesting psychology.

In addition to the wonderfully engaging style, the content of the book itself is nothing short of incredible. The authors detail every aspect of this “Swiping” behavior—what it looks like, its consequences, how it affects different areas of our lives, and how to overcome it. The book isn’t too long but it’s very thorough, and the easygoing tone captured my interest the whole way through.

I appreciate that the authors take time to show how to recognize and avoid this Swipe behavior, too. Though they offer brief tidbits of wisdom throughout the book, they spend the final chapter detailing an alternative to the endless “hamster wheel” of Swiping. It brings a fresh note of hope to the end of the book after countless warnings about the dangers of Swiping. It leaves the reader with a feeling that though this behavior is troubling, it can be overcome. 

If you are a human being, you should read this book. Swiping is something we all do, but never talk about. By using the information and guidance provided in this book, we can learn to overcome apathy and avoidance and practice resilience instead. With both the writing and content presented flawlessly, Swipe easily earns a five-star review. 

Original review posted on Reedsy Discovery, where I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
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