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A review by tommyhousworth
The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price
4.0
I was pleased to realize this book was written by Catherine Price, the same author who'd given me food for thought a few years earlier with "How to Break Up with Your Phone". Upon realizing that fun has slowly been leeched from my life - chalk it up to aging, taking myself too seriously, and the events of the past few years (personally, nationally, globally), I was seeking a book to remind me what it means to 'have fun'.
Price spends a portion of the book talking about what fun isn't, which most often points toward our reliance on devices and screens as mechanisms of escape, numbing out, or experiencing Fake Fun. Though some of this was a retread of her previous book, it was a helpful reminder as I've continued to rely upon my phone and laptop for engagement at times of boredom, restlessness, and stress, surrendering to passive consumption.
Price then turns the corner to talk about what creates true fun, which is based on three criteria: Playfulness, Connection, and Flow. She offers examples of how to create each of these, as well as tips from her "Fun Squad". What I most appreciated was her grounded awareness that fun isn't just silliness (though it can be) and that she's not asking everyone to skip around the room and sing as an elixir to their doldrums. She gets that fun is different things to different people, and that it means actually losing oneself in an authentic experience, not merely trying to recapture the carefree joys of childhood.
I used to direct and teach improv comedy and, unsurprisingly, the example of improv comes up often in the second half of the book, reminding us of the power of flow, mutual trust, saying "yes, and..." and creating connection through imagination and a willingness to fail.
Price is authentic, relatable, and encouraging, without treating fun as some Polyanna quick-fix to our lives. She gets that it has to be restitched into the fabric of our lives on a regular/daily basis (microdoses and boosters of fun). I'll be recommending this book for others who feel as if they've lost their access to true fun. I refuse to believe that getting older and facing some of life's greatest inevitable challenges (loss of parents, kids moving out, illness, slowing down) requires us to surrender that feeling of wonder and excitement that comes from experiencing fun. Price reminds us of our regular access to fun, and that alone makes this book worth reading.
Price spends a portion of the book talking about what fun isn't, which most often points toward our reliance on devices and screens as mechanisms of escape, numbing out, or experiencing Fake Fun. Though some of this was a retread of her previous book, it was a helpful reminder as I've continued to rely upon my phone and laptop for engagement at times of boredom, restlessness, and stress, surrendering to passive consumption.
Price then turns the corner to talk about what creates true fun, which is based on three criteria: Playfulness, Connection, and Flow. She offers examples of how to create each of these, as well as tips from her "Fun Squad". What I most appreciated was her grounded awareness that fun isn't just silliness (though it can be) and that she's not asking everyone to skip around the room and sing as an elixir to their doldrums. She gets that fun is different things to different people, and that it means actually losing oneself in an authentic experience, not merely trying to recapture the carefree joys of childhood.
I used to direct and teach improv comedy and, unsurprisingly, the example of improv comes up often in the second half of the book, reminding us of the power of flow, mutual trust, saying "yes, and..." and creating connection through imagination and a willingness to fail.
Price is authentic, relatable, and encouraging, without treating fun as some Polyanna quick-fix to our lives. She gets that it has to be restitched into the fabric of our lives on a regular/daily basis (microdoses and boosters of fun). I'll be recommending this book for others who feel as if they've lost their access to true fun. I refuse to believe that getting older and facing some of life's greatest inevitable challenges (loss of parents, kids moving out, illness, slowing down) requires us to surrender that feeling of wonder and excitement that comes from experiencing fun. Price reminds us of our regular access to fun, and that alone makes this book worth reading.