A review by chaosetc
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman

5.0

This isn't a how-to book. It's a summary of the author's investigation into happiness, from the perspective of someone who's skeptical about "positive thinking". Being a journey, the text does meander a bit. This is more than okay with me because I found the book worthwhile just for the though provoking experience. Rather than giving you a cult to join, it provides a number of different approaches that you can try for yourself, and mix together as needed. The author dives into stoicism (not the word as we currently understand it), buddhism (the practice, not the religion), Eckhart Tolle (who I didn't know before but probably won't bother to read), Ernest Becker (who I personally see as a crank), the pitfalls of goal setting (been there), the counter-intuitive effects of mantras, and (gasp) discussions about death. So if you want a simple program, this is not the book for you. But if you like to think about mind-bending things, I'd say go for it.