Poe for Your Problems — A Review
Title: Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History’s Least Likely Self-Help Guru
Author: Catherine Baab-Muguira
Genre: Self-help / Humor / Biographical wisdom
Published: September 2021 (Running Press) Barnes & Noble+2The Frumious Consortium+2
Premise & Approach
At first glance, this seems like a cheeky mash-up of Edgar Allan Poe — notorious for dark poetry, troubled life, and brooding style — and pop self-help. The conceit: Poe endured a lot of failure, rejection, financial instability, and personal turmoil — yet his work endures. What might his mistakes, misfortunes, and obsessions teach us today?
Baab-Muguira structures the book through episodes of Poe’s life (his childhood, his professional scramble, his romantic and emotional entanglements, and his public persona) and draws out “Poe-grams” (lessons or prompts) that readers can apply — often with humor, irony, and a dash of the gothic. Goodreads+3Reactor+3The Frumious Consortium+3
The tone is self-aware, darkly playful, and encourages readers to lean into their own “weirdness,” to accept failures while still striving, and to find value even in the chaos. Reactor+3The Frumious Consortium+3CravenWild+3
What Works & Strengths
- Fresh angle on self-help. Rather than promising formulaic “fixes,” the book embraces failure, melancholy, and contradiction. It offers something more honest to readers who don’t resonate with saccharine positivity. The Frumious Consortium+2CravenWild+2
- Humor and wit. The voice is often amusing, sardonic, and self-aware — it parodies self-help tropes while delivering real reflections. Barnes & Noble+3Reactor+3CravenWild+3
- Biographical insight. The author knows Poe well and uses his struggles and decisions (both admirable and flawed) as meaningful illustrations rather than just anecdotes. The Frumious Consortium+1
- Relatable “dark side” appeal. For readers who feel like misfits, melancholics, or black sheep, the framing of Poe’s own torments can feel validating rather than shaming. The Frumious Consortium+2CravenWild+2
- Practical elements. The book includes quizzes, charts, reflections, and exercises (in “Poe-gram” style) to engage readers in applying its ideas. Reactor+1
Critiques & Things to Consider
- Balance of satire vs. substance. Because of its satirical bent, some readers may feel it leans more on style than deep transformation. The line between parody and genuine self-help can sometimes blur.
- Selective glorification of pain. Embracing darkness is one thing; romanticizing self-destructive behavior (e.g. Poe’s alcoholism, personal dysfunction) is a delicate move. Some readers may struggle with that tension.
- Not a traditional guide. If someone wants step-by-step formulas or structured “self-improvement,” this book isn’t that. Its strength is in reflection, tone, and reframing.
- Uneven takeaway clarity. Some chapters or lessons are sharper than others — occasional stretches where the connection between Poe’s life and a modern lesson is less crisp.
Suggested Blurb for Your Site
“In Poe for Your Problems, Catherine Baab-Muguira mines the failures, hauntings, and quirks of Edgar Allan Poe to offer a self-help that embraces darkness, weirdness, and imperfection. Equal parts satire and sincerity, the book encourages you to say ‘nevermore’ to shame and to turn turbulence into creative fuel.”