People have this strange tendency to read 4HWW like a recipe book. I don't understand it.

At one point in the book, Ferriss himself (indirectly) provides the explanation for why his own book focuses so much on his particular experiences and goals: He prefers to read books written by people that have actual experience doing something, rather than theoretical extrapolations. And so he's written such a book. He offers you a recipe for doing what he did because that's what he knows how to do. What more can you ask from one book? If you want a book about how to live a happy life as a hacker or a priest, perhaps you need to buy a second book.

To me, the fact that Ferriss has a very different personality from mine is a big selling point. If I wanted a book on how to think like I already do, I could write it myself!