Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope

A paradoxical guide to the issues of optimism from the author of the worldwide mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

It's a fascinating moment to be alive. We are the healthiest, wealthiest, and most free people in human history, and everything is better than it has ever been, materially speaking. Nevertheless, it seems like everything has gone terribly wrong—the earth is rising, governments are dissolving, economy are collapsing, and everyone is constantly insulted on Twitter. Many of us return to a pervasive sense of pessimism despite the fact that we live in a time when our forefathers could never have imagined having access to technology, education, and communication.

What is happening? Mark Manson is the best person to identify the cause of our present problems and provide solutions. Manson's book The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, which was released in 2016, masterfully shaped the constant, background hum of worry that surrounds contemporary life. He demonstrated to us how our society had led us to believe that the world owed us something when it didn't, how technology had made it too simple to care about the wrong things, and, worst of all, how our contemporary and frustrating need to always pursue happiness had only helped to make us unhappy. Rather, the "subtle art" of that term proved to be a daring challenge: to choose your battle, to concentrate and narrow down, and to identify the suffering you are willing to endure. The outcome was a book that went on to become a global sensation, selling millions of copies and ranking as the number one bestseller in thirteen different countries.

In Everthing Is F*cked, Manson now shifts his focus from the inherent shortcomings in every single person to the never-ending tragedies occurring in the outside world. He examines how religion and politics have uncomfortably grown to resemble one another, drawing on the wealth of psychological studies on the subject as well as the timeless wisdom of thinkers like Tom Waits, Nietzsche, and Plato. He examines how our interactions with money, entertainment, and the internet affect us and how consuming too much of a good thing may be fatal to our mental health. He openly challenges our conceptions of hope itself, as well as of religion, pleasure, and freedom.

Manson grabs us by the collar and encourages us to be more honest with ourselves and connect with the world in ways we probably haven't thought of before, all with his trademark blend of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humour. It's another irrational journey through the anguish in our hearts and the tension in our souls. Another novel written by one of today's greatest authors is sure to become a classic.