Who Moved My Cheese

Have you read Who Moved My Cheese, the popular motivational tale by Spencer Johnson? Our team director, where I work, suggested it.

It's a simple premise - different people react differently to change. Some immediately move on to look for the next thing. Others become paralyzed and have difficulty coping. Still others are "in the middle", waiting a while but then gathering themselves up to move on.

Unfortunately, the book takes this simple truth and runs so far with it that it runs off the road and, as a friend used to say, into the giggly weeds. This isn't a story that requires 96 pages (at a suggested list price of $20) to tell!

My guess is that the author created his story, then told it over and over, embellishing each piece and adding little catchphrases. Eventually, the story became a book. Unfortunately, I see it as one of those books whose primary purpose is to sell the book.

From my point of view, the author could have benefitted from a good editor. The basic, underlying story has the flavor of a fable or parable. But Aesop knew how to say a lot in just the right number of words. Spencer Johnson doesn't understand how to do that.