Well, this is most talked about book I've read in a while. Most of what I heard has been negative because of the author's stance on transgender issues. This book is only obliquely applicable to that.

What's most interesting about the 12 rules, I found, is that Peterson only obliquely argues for the rule in the chapter. He'll write about Lobsters, the mark of Cain, Socrates' death, Jesus, Freud, Jung, Nietzsche and his own experiences a clinical psychologist and father.

His interpretations of the Genesis story, Jesus story and Egyptian mythology are very Jung/ Joseph Campbell. I happen to be a fan so I enjoyed those aspects.

At points this gets repetitive. He applies the stories to several rules. He also tries to be rhetorical or literary towards the end of the chapter. The chapter on pursing the meaningful has 5 paragraphs in a row that be begin with "meaningful is", blah blah.

I think this could be 100 pages shorter and just as powerful. Peterson has a conversational style of writing which makes the book longer than it needs to be.

I can't disagree with any of these rules. It's not a life changing book, just good common sense that we all to often don't follow.

Peterson's material from Socrates to Jesus to Nietzsche to Jung draws on the cannon of Western Civilization. That's where the rules come from. This book serves to remind us that Western Civ is not dead and that despite politically motivated currents against it, reading, discussing, and living those texts is critical to society's future.