Free Delivery Over $100
|
|
|||
|
||||
OverviewA very funny debunking of our obsession with achieving happiness, which will appeal to readers of Bill Bryson, Louis Theroux and Pamela Duckerman. 'Essential reading. So funny, so relevant, so fascinating ... I loved it' Marian Keyes 'A whip-sharp British Bill Bryson' Sunday Times 'Ruth Whippman is my new favorite cultural critic, and her book was such a joy to read' Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B (co-authored with Sheryl Sandberg) When British journalist Ruth Whippman moved to America it seemed that everyone she met was obsessed with one thing- finding happiness. Americans spend more money and energy on becoming happier than anyone on earth, but yet they are some of the least happy people in the developed world. So Ruth sets off on a journey to work out what's going wrong, and most importantly, what lessons we can all learn about what truly makes for a happy life. From nearly falling apart during a controversial self-help course promising total transformation, to investigating a 'happiness city' in the Nevada desert, from spending time with the Mormons in Utah to exploring the darker truths behind the positive psychology movement, Ruth tries it all. Along the way she stumbles upon a more effective, less anxiety inducing path to contentment. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Ruth WhippmanPublisher: Cornerstone Imprint: Windmill Books Dimensions: Width: 12.90cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 19.80cm Weight: 0.203kg ISBN: 9780099592556ISBN 10: 009959255 Pages: 288 Publication Date: 06 October 2016 Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , General/trade , Professional & Vocational , Tertiary & Higher Education Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock  We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsLike Bill Bryson, Whippman has a willingness to play up cultural differences to comic effect ... She also has Bryson's sharp ear for language and its potential for absurdity ... This is not merely a personal voyage of enlightenment, however, nor an extended eye-roll at wacky Americans. The book's serious underpinning is a warning about how happiness is being weaponised by governments and employers, directed towards their people to make them work harder and longer ... With warm wit and chilling logic, The Pursuit of Happiness shows that the human desire for contentment can be manipulated and distorted until it is barely recognisable, Big Brother as smiley face, a frown turned upside down and back to front ... A whip-smart British Bill Bryson Sunday Times She writes with a light touch...Her conclusions are amusing and offer a useful commentary on this age of materialism and gloating The Times Like Bill Bryson, Whippman has a willingness to play up cultural differences to comic effect ... She also has Bryson's sharp ear for language and its potential for absurdity ... This is not merely a personal voyage of enlightenment, however, nor an extended eye-roll at wacky Americans. The book's serious underpinning is a warning about how happiness is being weaponised by governments and employers, directed towards their people to make them work harder and longer ... With warm wit and chilling logic, The Pursuit of Happiness shows that the human desire for contentment can be manipulated and distorted until it is barely recognisable, Big Brother as smiley face, a frown turned upside down and back to front ... A whip-smart British Bill Bryson Sunday Times I loved this book. I found it so well written, so witty and funny and reading it I was often envious of Ruth Whippman's facility with language. It was a hugely engaging read, accessible and so relevant... I loved the fact that she anchored her research in her own life and the case studies were utterly fascinating! The Mormons! The funny town in Vegas! It's a great book. It really needs to be read because people are going about happiness all the wrong way. I really really really really enjoyed it and am quite evangelical about it. -- Marian Keyes, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of SUSHI FOR BEGINNERS She writes with a light touch...Her conclusions are amusing and offer a useful commentary on this age of materialism and gloating The Times Ruth Whippman manages the trick of being funny about what is, deep down, a serious problem: the American quest for happiness isn't working. The more we focus on making ourselves happy, the more anxious we become - and the pursuit of wellbeing becomes just another stressful competition. Yet there's no need to despair, she suggests: there's a far more promising path to fulfillment in the equally American traditions of community, solidarity, and solving our problems together -- Oliver Burkeman Like Bill Bryson, Whippman has a willingness to play up cultural differences to comic effect ... She also has Bryson's sharp ear for language and its potential for absurdity ... This is not merely a personal voyage of enlightenment, however, nor an extended eye-roll at wacky Americans. The book's serious underpinning is a warning about how happiness is being weaponised by governments and employers, directed towards their people to make them work harder and longer ... With warm wit and chilling logic, The Pursuit of Happiness shows that the human desire for contentment can be manipulated and distorted until it is barely recognisable, Big Brother as smiley face, a frown turned upside down and back to front ... A whip-smart British Bill Bryson. Sunday Times I LOVED this book. I found it SO WELL WRITTEN, so witty and funny and reading it I was often envious of Ruth Whippman's facility with language. It is a hugely engaging read, accessible and so relevant ... I really, really, really, really enjoyed it and am quite evangelical about it. -- Marian Keyes, bestselling author of SUSHI FOR BEGINNERS She writes with a light touch ... Her conclusions are amusing and offer a useful commentary on this age of materialism and gloating. The Times Wry and often hilarious ... Whippman takes readers on an engaging and perceptive personal romp through the $10 billion happiness industry, and, along the way, shreds much of the 'science' that happiness is both an individual responsibility and a solo endeavour. A great - and important - read. -- Brigid Schulte, author of New York Times Bestseller OVERWHELMED: WORK, LOVE & PLAY WHEN NO ONE HAS THE TIME If you're on a quest for happiness, you want to start with buying this book. Wit, wisdom, and the kind of analysis only a Brit could bring to the topics of anxiety and contentment ... I laughed my way through it. -- Linda Tirado, author of HAND TO MOUTH: LIVING IN BOOTSTRAP AMERICA Author InformationRuth Whippman is a British writer, journalist and documentary film-maker. Before moving to the US in 2011, she produced and directed numerous documentaries and current affairs programmes for the BBC. Her essays and comment pieces have appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, the Independent and the Huffington Post amongst other places. She lives in California with her husband and two young sons. This is her first book. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
||||
