AUTHOR’S BOOKSHELF
Three books that inspired Brock Bastian while writing The Other Side Of Happiness
THE NEW BLACK: MOURNING, MELANCHOLIA AND DEPRESSION BY DARIAN LEADER (£9.99, PENGUIN).
“This book tackles issues of loss head- on. It invites us to mourn, not to step away and pretend everything is okay. It makes the case that this approach will loosen the grip that these experiences have on our lives.”
SMILE OR DIE: HOW POSITIVE THINKING FOOLED AMERICA AND THE WORLD BY BARBARA EHRENREICH (£8.99, GRANTA).
“I love the title of this book! It takes a no-prisoners approach to criticising the unrealistic and tyrannical nature of the positive thinking movement. It also warns against its costs, both in terms of human well-being and losing touch with reality.”
THE BODY IN PAIN: THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF THE WORLD BY ELAINE SCARRY (£ 12.99, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS).
“This is a philosophical and beautifully written book that approaches pain from a non-medical perspective. It explores pain’s social and political dimensions, seeking to understand how it both destroys and creates, and how it gives meaning to things.”