SELF-HELP

This One Wild and Precious Life: The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World

by Sarah Wilson

Dey St. Dec. 2020. 368p. ISBN 9780062962973. $26.99. SELF-HELP

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Australian author Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful), best known for creating the “I Quit Sugar” movement, examines loneliness and isolation in our divided, technology-obsessed world. She takes readers on a multiyear “soul’s journey” with contemplative stops at her favorite hiking and vacation spots, like an Eat, Pray, Love for COVID-rattled people. Topics covered include dating, technology, capitalism, and politics. She explores the need now more than ever for connection between humans and offers suggestions and exercises to help reconnect with others and ourselves.

VERDICT This may be one of the first books that culminates in the events of 2020 and offers a solution for moving forward. Although Wilson comes across as a bit rambling and even privileged at times, her stories are fascinating and her message is universal and hopeful. Readers with wanderlust will be inspired by her journey and calls to action.

Reviewed by Jennifer Clifton, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis , Nov 20, 2020

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