“No Is A Four Letter Word” by Chris Jericho [Book Review]

“I really don’t like it when I ask someone to do something and they say something like ‘Ummm, I’d like to go but I have to work tomorrow’ or ‘I want to go but I don’t have a friend to go with.’

If you don’t WANT to go that’s fine, but if it’s something you really want to do then don’t give me any excuses. Have to work in the morning? Then drink an extra cup of coffee if you’re tired. Don’t have somebody to go with? Go solo and make friends.”

-Chris Jericho in “The Keith Richards Principle,” Chapter 3 of No Is A Four Letter Word

Chris Jericho is a man known by many people for many reasons. To millions of people, he is one of the most highly-regarded WWE Superstars of all time, a multi-time world champion still wrestling today. To hundreds of thousands of listeners each week, he is the host of the Talk Is Jericho podcast. As if being a top wrestler and podcaster were not enough, he is also the singer of the acclaimed metal band Fozzy, an actor, a television host, and the author of three New York Times best-sellers.

Check out Fozzy’s video for the song “Judas”

No Is A Four Letter Word — set for an August 29, 2017 release via Da Capo Press — is Jericho’s fourth book. While No is full of compelling stories, obscure pop culture references, and includes the editing work of long-time collaborator Peter Thomas Fornatale, it carries a different tone from Jericho’s other titles. The focus of this one is on the concepts that help one to succeed in life, and how Jericho was able to apply each one of them directly.

While the book may seem like a self-help guide — its sub-title is “How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded In Life” — Jericho could not be any further from Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra or Chicken Soup For The Soul. What Jericho is preaching often includes his shortcomings, emphasizing the mistakes he had made on the journey to get to where he is now. It also encourages readers to realize that success is simply accomplishing what one sets out to do and doing that well while being a good person.

To enjoy No, a reader need not be a diehard wrestling fan or a regular listener of metal, although that fandom will make the book far more enjoyable. There seem to be a few jokes on each page — keep an eye out for the word “ain’t” when used in parenthesis — which almost begs the question as to why Chris Jericho has not yet entered the world of stand-up. No Is A Four Letter World often makes reference to a follow-up book in the works, so Jericholics can rest assured that there is more to come.

Written by: Chris Jericho (Author), Paul Stanley (Foreword)
Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 29, 2017)
Format/Length: Paperback; 232 pages