Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy

I really liked reading this. It was short but well written and gave me a lot to think about. My biggest take away was that we all need sadness/despair to truly appreciate happiness. It’s not reasonable to be happy ALL the time.

In this candid and unconventional book, English professor and humanist Eric G. Wilson positions himself as melancholy's champion. He does everything but wave gloomy pom-poms as he extols its role in creativity and invention. As counterintuitive and loopy as his view may seem, Wilson makes a strong, lucid case for feeling glum. Indeed, reading Wilson's book may inspire you trade in your grin for a wholehearted frown. If you... Read Full Review

As a society, we are in love with happiness. We lust for it, we search for it, we will do anything to have it. And it's almost never questioned. In fact, if you don't want happiness, your own or at least someone else's satisfaction, most people probably think you're crazy and you'll probably never be respected. Here, finally, is an intelligent, philosophical and beautifully written defense of the viewpoint that melancholy... Read Full Review

If you look at this book, read an excerpt, and _still_ scratch your head about it...this book is, quite simply, not for you. If, however, you heard about it on NPR or read an article or read an excerpt and it immediately called to you on a fundamental level, this book absolutely is for you. This book was a fantastic way of describing the "me" that has always been indescribable. I found in its pages a reassurance that I was... Read Full Review

Quick and interesting read, yet with a timely, powerful, and important message -- a message that may not be initially welcomed by many (most), yet surprisingly refreshng and healing. A much needed tonic for an epidemic of self sabatoging social denial. Along with Wilson's well written description and explanation of the sane reasons to respect meloncholy, it is enhanced with short biographies and examples from literature which... Read Full Review