From
the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not
Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope.
We
live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s
ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human
history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly
f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are
collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this
moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and
communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come
back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.
What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck,
a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum
of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology
had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture
had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and
worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find
happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of
that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle;
to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result
was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of
copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different
countries.
Now, in Everthing Is F*cked,
Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual
self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us.
Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well
as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and
Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways
they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships
with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good
thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions
of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.
With his
usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor,
Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with
ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t
considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain
in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern
writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to
come.
