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  3 0 Ooh the first thing I thought of was A Confederation of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. At least your brother will relate to Ignatius J. Reilly. Ignatius does eventually leave his mother's house and finds a job, but not necessarily in that order. Seriously, at the end of the book, Mr. Reilly does accept that he needs (to) change. And it's funny without being preachy. Christina L answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report 1 comment by Sloggerette… 0 0 Good call! I totally forgot about that book. Sloggerette commented 5 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I don't know how you do this without seeming insufferably preachy. Other than showing him how much better your non-living-at-home life is, by taking him out to do fun stuff that you actually do (not by telling him it's better for god's sake), what are your options? Does he have friends? Really the only thing I think will work is a girlfriend/boyfriend. Maybe work on that with him, offer to write him an OK Cupid profile or something. When's the last time he got laid? Without paying for it? Probably the weak point in his game, I'd guess. If you want to bitch to someone, talk to the parents. They are doing him no goddamn favors. Of course it's not really your business. Unless he's mentally ill. In which case he needs treatment. And honestly? If my parents paid my way, weren't assholes about it, I didn't have to do jack shit, and I could still travel and have all sorts of stuff? I really might. But it wouldn't be nearly as much as a cock block for me since I'm female. If he's not obviously depressed or suicidal why worry about it at all? It's his choice, and it's not inspiration he needs, it's motivation. Hence girlfriend. Or perhaps awesome job opportunity, pref. in mechanical engineering. But that's his to find, not your job, not your problem. Also, the tested as a genius thing? According to who? Mom? First off, the IQ test isn't really for that, it's for IDing low functioning kids, and secondly, the thing doesn't normally test above 140, which is smart, but not genius level. There isn't really a genius test, especially at that age... BasementDweller3 answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report 5 comments by BasementDweller3, BasementDweller3, and Black Beetles in Amber… 1 0 Also, he's being wildly unrealistic about the job thing. He's 27 with no work history. He'd be lucky to get offers at all (I wouldn't hire him), and what he does get he should take if he thinks he can hack it. You don't have a degree? You start at the bottom. Them's the rules. If he proves out, he makes more. If he doesn't have any friends or anyone to reality check him, you could clue him into that. That's what happens when you don't have a degree. Solution? Low income housing, roommates, or living in a tent. If those aren't an actual improvement for him, and he senses the 'rents might not be so monetarily generous if he's earning, he has a point - min wage won't cut it. He's used to better with less effort. BasementDweller3 commented 5 months ago | Report 1 0 There is also such a thing as a great minimum wage job. I had two that really helped me, because the people were fantastic. The kind of jobs where no one really goes home when their shift is over, stops by on their days off, that kind of thing. I was lucky. He could be too. There are other reasons to work than money. But he's going to have a hell of a time finding anything, unless he's got an in. Like working where a friend works. BasementDweller3 commented 5 months ago | Report 0 0 +1 to this, the problem is that the brother's got a huge sense of entitlement. He was smart as a kid, therefore he DESERVES to get good grades, he coasted therefore he DESERVES to get "the job", "the girl", etc. Just for fun-speculation, i'm sure he's a libertarian who believes he'll be a captain of industry based on his rugged individualism and "vision" alone. Getting him past that sense of manchild-entitlement and a realistic sense of how fucked he is, and how he needs to start somewhere, anywhere would be the best option. Not some sort of Randroid "inspirational" book, because that would only use to solidify the sense of entitlement he feels to deserve everything without effort and leaving his shell. Black Beetles in Amber commented 5 months ago | Report 0 0 That was mom's battle, not the kid's. There are plenty of asshole entitled parents who throw shit fits about their little baby bumpkin to the absolute indifference or active shame of their so called gifted offspring, who if anything only feel more like failures when their future is as crappy as this guy's is. We have no idea if he feels the same as mommy does. He'll learn he can't get "the job" when he tries and fails to get it (as he has, he knows he's only good for min wage), and he, I'm pretty sure, does not have a girlfriend, and is probably painfully aware he is, as the sister so lovingly puts it, a loser. Why should he change though if there is nothing he wants (that he thinks he can get) outside of this picture? Change his wants, change his behavior. BasementDweller3 commented 5 months ago | Report 0 0 Also, as the so called gifted child with the maniac mom? Often the only way to take the insane pressure of having to become the next Einstein off is by deliberately failing at every damn thing, especially school. I know my mom started talking about me as "the golden ticket" and "our little cash cow" when I tested well in kindergarten. It seemed unnecessary at the time for some reason. BasementDweller3 commented 5 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Your brother is me, though I was lucky enough to have parents that never let me slide. Here are three books that inspired me to be, if not usefull and industrious, to at least be less useless and more adventerous. A Fools Progress and Desert Solitaire- Ed Abbey Creation-Gore Vidal There are others. Where one finds inspiration from can be a slippery thing, though. Is your bro a toker? If so that will be a problem. If laziness is an issue (and it sounds like it is THE issue- along with the usual self esteem crap) then Gamer=bad and Toker=bad and gamer+toker=horrible. Ultimately the thing that really got my ass in gear ( or my version of it, anyway) was doing time in jail. 25 years later and that is still something that motivates me. Your bother's main problem at this point is his parent's enabling and that will be tough to get around if they aren't willing to parent-up and force your bro to put on his big-boy pants. Tom answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 "- He tested as a genius when he was in the 2nd grade; his mother never made him do his homework or pass a class again after that" It's a lot easier to stand out when you're 8 than it is to maintain that "edge" past elementary school. Plenty of people of average to lower intelligence can show "genius IQ" by those arbitrary tests and slack off for the rest of their lives because they believe themselves inherently smarter than others. "- His parents do not begrudge him anything -" There is absolutely nothing you can do for him if he's just sitting around mooching off your parents, waiting for your parents to die so he can take over the house. As long as they want to spoil him, he'll continue to be lazy as hell. "with his genius brain" Stop assuming he's a genius, for one. Black Beetles in Amber answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report 4 comments by BasementDweller3, RacerX, and agness… 1 0 I believe she was being sarcastic about the genius brain. She's interested in stirring up this situation which has nothing to do with her out of 1) Actual concern for the brother she scorns? She says not a single nice thing about him. 2) Pissiness that they didn't/don't take care of her the same way they do him 3) Both. If I got such a book from her and I was him, I'd think she was being a dick. BasementDweller3 commented 5 months ago | Report 0 0 basementdweller is dead on. "-- and slack off for the rest of their lives because they believe themselves inherently smarter than others." It's if they GET AWAY with slacking off all their lives that determines if they really are genius IQ -- certainly explains questionland ;) for what its worth- the Wechsler tests are hardly arbitrary. And it's not easier to attain a above 140 IQ set of scores if you are young, since the tests are scored only relative to others of the same age -- in other words, his 2nd grade IQ scores approximately represents his 2nd grade intelligence among all 2nd graders. There are some good youtube videos about how school systems are detrimental to some high IQ kids - so I guess in that way there's less "standing out" at age 18 than age 8 RacerX commented 5 months ago | Report 1 0 Have you read this recent research into the de-motivating effects of praise in young children? http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/ It is something I have learned about through parenting classes and try to consider as I raise my kids. I can't think of any motivating books, unless you want to give him a copy of one dealing with this topic of research. agness commented 5 months ago | Report 0 0 A neat article, thanks. RacerX- "for what its worth- the Wechsler tests are hardly arbitrary." When judging future success in life? Yes they absolutely are. You seem to be applying a lot of strange significance to these tests that you shouldn't be. Black Beetles in Amber commented 5 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 screw books - have him watch "Amadeus" for a good scare. RacerX answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 John Green's _An Abundance of Katherines_ is about a child prodigy on a road trip who does some growing up... It's YA, so pretty light reading. B Strand answered in Book Recommendations 5 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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