| ISBN |
9780241300688 (paperback) |
| Name |
Cain, Susan author. |
| Title |
Bittersweet : how sorrow and longing make us whole / Susan Cain. |
| Published |
London : Viking, 2022. |
| ©2022 |
| Description |
310 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Notes |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: The power of bittersweet -- Part I. Sorrow and longing: how can we transform pain into creativity, transcendence, and love?. What is sadness good for? ; Why do we long for "perfect" and unconditional love? (And what does this have to do with our love of sad songs, rainy days, and even the divine?) ; Is creativity associated with sorrow, longing--and transcendence? ; How should we cope with lost love? -- Part II. Winners and losers: how can we live and work authentically in a "tyranny of positivity"?. How did a nation founded on so much heartache turn into a culture of normative smiles? ; How can we transcend enforced positivity in the workplace, and beyond? -- Part III. Mortality, impermanence, and grief: how should we live, knowing that we and everyone we love will die?. Should we try to live forever? ; Should we try to "get over" grief and impermanence? ; Do we inherit the pain of our parents and ancestors? And, if so, can we transform it generations later? -- Coda: How to go home. |
| Summary |
In this inspiring masterpiece, bestselling author Susan Cain shows the power of the "bittersweet" -- the outlook that values the experiences of loss and pain, which can lead to growth and beauty. Understanding bittersweetness can change the way we work, the way we create and the way we love. Each chapter helps us navigate an issue that define our lives, from love to death and from authenticity to creativity. Using examples ranging from music and cinema to parenting and business, as well as her own life and the latest academic research, she shows how understanding bittersweetness will allow us, in a flawed world, to accept the loss of past identities; to fully embrace the loves we have; and to weather life's transitions. Bittersweet reveals that vulnerability and even melancholy can be strengths, and that embracing our inevitable losses makes us more human and more whole. This is a book for those who have felt a piercing joy at the beauty of the world; who react intensely to art and nature; and in a culture that celebrates toughness, who yearn for a wiser and more meaningful world. For bittersweetness is the hidden source of our love stories, moonshots and masterpieces. |
| Subjects |
Cain, Susan -- Anecdotes |
| Self-actualization (Psychology) |
| Self-realization |
| Women authors, American -- Anecdotes |
| Melancholy |
| Grief |
| Desire |
| Genre |
Self-help publications |
| Anecdotes |
| Links to Related Works |
Subject References:
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Authors:
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