hbabkins 's review for:

First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety by Sarah Wilson

3.0

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I did enjoy the writing style of this book. It felt comforting, like talking to a friend. Some passages were eerily on the nose for my thought processes, and I found it reassuring knowing that I'm not alone. And while there were definitely some helpful nuggets throughout the book that I would like to reread and soak up more, I also found by the end, I just plain didn't like the author. I appreciate her candor and realistic approach to anxiety (anxiety isn't just going to magically disappear after reading this book and that she herself still continuously lives with it, despite continuously working on it) I also felt annoyed by how oblivious she seemed to be about her own privilege... to travel constantly, uproot herself, be on TV, be a published author, etc. She even stated she doesn't care about money and claimed to be middle class...yet she uprooted her whole life to go to some exclusive ashram across the world...? Continuously keeps her stuff in storage so she can keep moving all around the world? I did like the idea of embracing the unknown in order to better live with anxiety, but a subtext to the book almost sounded like "be exactly like me, throwing caution to the wind all the time!" It sounds like she's running from unprocessed trauma or forming supportive relationships.
She admits to being manic throughout writing the book (which isn't inherently bad), but some of the advice comes off plain irresponsible. Suggesting folks abandon their medications "just to see what happens/what creative potential it might unlock"...?! Yikes.
I would be selective about who I would recommend this book to.