How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division: The powerful, pocket-sized manifesto

Description

The must-read, pocket-sized Big Think book of 2020. It feels like the world is falling apart. So how do we keep hold of our optimism? How do we nurture the parts of ourselves that hope, trust and believe in something better? And how can we stay sane in this world of division? In this beautifully written and illuminating polemic, Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak reflects on our age of pessimism, when emotions guide and misguide our politics, and misinformation and fear are the norm. A tender, uplifting plea for optimism, Shafak draws on her own memories and delves into the power of stories to reveal how writing can nurture democracy, tolerance and progress. And in the process, she answers one of the most urgent questions of our time.

Elif Shafak is an award-winning novelist and the most widely read female writer in Turkey. Her novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019, and her work has been translated into more than fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in political science, is an inspiring public speaker and twice a TED global speaker. In 2019, she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

One of the best writers in the world today -- Hanif Kureishi Sharp and elegant ... I did find myself hoping that Facebook and Like (or whatever they are now called) might one day come across this little book - and thinking that its calm and generous view of the world might give them back some part of the optimism that had greeted their arrival. -- Mary Beard * Guardian * A calmly rational response to extraordinary circumstances ... there is comfort in having a voice like Shafak's to guide us * The i Paper * Insightful and very moving -- John Harris * Guardian * A deeply thought-provoking delight * Independent * Fortifying and optimistic * Net-a-Porter Magazine * One of the most important writers at work today * Independent * Shafak's writings are an embodiment of radical remembrance; with existential fervour, they pull together the past and future to bring forth a fully realised present that feels all the more urgent * Dazed * PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS: 'Expect vibrant, vivid and eye-opening descriptions of Middle Eastern life propelled by a tender storyline, all in Shafak's haunting, beautiful and considered prose' * Vanity Fair * Incredibly sensuous and poetic and evocative -- Pandora Sykes * The High Low * Richly uplifting... truly beautiful writing -- Nicola Sturgeon Simply magnificent, a truly captivating work of immense power and beauty, on the essence of life and its end -- Philippe Sands A vivid carnival of life and death, cruelty and kindness, love, politics and deep humanity. Brilliant! -- Helena Kennedy Beautifully written ... a complex vision of how emotions interact with political life -- Devi Sridhar * Lancet * Beautifully written ... calls for the importance of centring knowledge, storytelling, empathy, and wisdom in our lives. -- Devi Sridhar * Lancet *