With joyous irreverence for traditional astrology, and a gleefully deep dive into all of the negative traits of each zodiac sign, Born on A Rotten Day is a great book. Hazel Dixon-Cooper, a professional astrologer, gets down and dirty with such delightful humor that even the most sensitive of the Zodiac signs will end up laughing as they roll in the mud. Just remember as you read this book that you better be able to laugh at yourself as well, Dixon-Cooper leaves no Zodiac sign unscathed. For example, where “tactful astrology depicts Virgo as a modest practical peach of a person,” the dark side sees Virgo as a“…anal, subjective, self-absorbed fussbudget who is critical, sanctimonious, and cheap.” Ouch!
As with every astrology book, not everything applies to each sign. But this book invites you to be a bit more careful about what you dismiss (is it really not true, or are you in denial?) As a Virgo, I don’t believe everyone else is beneath me, although they really could do better, they just need a little encouragement, and my discerning eye pointing out how would be practical… Hmm. Maybe that’s why the key phrase for Virgos is: “It won’t work that way.”
Even if you don’t know much about astrology, you’ll learn a lot of useful points (like, how to deal with an enraged Bull, or how to out-B.S. a Twin). Frankly, I laughed out loud at all of the descriptions... except my own. Which is probably the perfect way to recommend this book.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Hazel Dixon-Cooper
Simon & Schuster Fireside, 2003
pp. 192, $10.00
