Life Worth Living

Oct 6, 2024 8:20 PM

Author:Miroslav Volf,Matthew Croasmun,Ryan McAnnally-Linz

Life Worth Living

What kind of life would be truly worth wanting? What kind of world would be truly worth seeking? How should we live?

We are facing a crisis of meaning. Swept up in the obstacles of the day-to-day, the deeper questions of our fundamental purpose linger just beneath the surface of our personal lives and our collective culture. What we need is to seek the truth.

In Life Worth Living, leading Yale theologians Volf, Croasmun and McAnnally-Linz offer a deep dive beneath the levels of habit, strategy and introspection to the bedrock question of what kind of life is truly worth living. Inspired by the leading Yale course of the same name, this perspective-shifting book will guide you through life's biggest questions. Drawing on the world's greatest religious and philosophical traditions, this is your path to understanding the true meaning of life.

Reviews

'Life Worth Living is an essential roadmap for anyone who's ever wondered about how to live the good life. It's the accessible crash course we all need to explore the big questions that lead to a happier, more morally satisfying life.'

—— Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast

Life Worth Living is transcendent. A collection of wisdom punctuated by questions of great consequence, this is the only book you need to find your way from where you are to where you are called to be.

—— Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author and host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders

'This valuable book is full of the wisdom of many minds and cultures on essential questions about selfhood, notably, how the self is to be understood, disciplined and enjoyed, and how it can discover an integrity that will be expressed in a good life. The questions are ancient, but the book is absolutely timely.'

—— Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Gilead and Housekeeping

'Three great scholars tackling the most important of questions! This book is worth rolling up your sleeves, saying your prayers, and diving into what could be quite possibly the most important work you ever do. Whether on your own or with a small group, make this book a priority.'

—— The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way and The Power of Love

Humanity glitters under her gaze in all its facets. Her prose is spectacularly good and her storytelling is a joy.

—— Philip Marsden, author of Rising Ground

A laudable attempt to record an endangered region and a disappearing way of life.

—— Times Literary Supplement

Exceptional.

—— BBC Wildlife

This is a book to make you feel.

—— Scotsman

In her captivating latest, Kassabova transports us to the Mesta River in her native Bulgaria... Kassabova finds hope that this ancient knowledge still has the power to heal us.

—— Bookseller, *Editor's Choice*

Extraordinary... She allows her book to grow and swell, like a symphony, expanding and deepening its themes until the traditional wisdom and life of the mountain envelopes you entirely. Rather like a spell, in fact.

—— Country Life

It soars with the luminous prose and unflinching honesty we have come to expect from this brilliantly gifted writer. Elixir is an extraordinary, profoundly moving book... Her prose is breathtaking, the stories heartbreaking.

—— Feminism and Religion

A joyous celebration of the Pomak community in southern Bulgaria.

—— Spectator, *Books of the Year*

John O'Donohue is an unassuming man with a grand sense of humor. . . charming.

—— Joy Redfield Kwapien, author of The Celestine Journal

John brightens the way for you, if you have the courage to go there--he was obviously sent here with the light.

—— Davy Spillane, Grammy Award-winning musician/composer at North Atlantic Music Studios (Ireland) and Producer of Anam Cara Audiobook

John O'Donohue's book of Celtic wisdom comes at you like a blast of fresh wind rushing above the din of modern noise and cynical contemporary conversations, revitalising the spirit to effectively face this turbulent world. Indeed we need John's wildly original and provocative voice more than ever.

—— Gail Straub, Co-Founder--Empowerment Institute, Author of The Rhythm of Compassion

From the very first sentence, Anam Cara takes us on an exhilarating journey through the human soul and its many wondrous and mysterious labyrinths, and John O'Donohue is the perfect guide to light the way--a radiant soul full of deep wisdom, true compassion, and boundless joy.

—— Andrew Carroll, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder, with Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky, of the American Poetry & Literacy Project

Anam Cara has accompanied me on my spiritual journey from its very inception. I have returned to this book often, for solace, wisdom and --most of all--to be reminded that I am not alone in what I desire for myself and for our world. John O'Donohue has been my "soul friend" for years, and his brave revelations of his mind and heart have changed my life. Get ready for a life-altering journey.

—— Edward L. Beck, Roman Catholic Priest, CNN Faith and Religion Commentator

In the age of social media in which we add and discard friends with the tap of a screen, we need more than ever John O'Donohue's vital words of wisdom on how the right relationships can lift a life and feed the soul. This book is about deep love, belonging, and honoring nourishing ties that crush small-minded concepts of what friendship can be. A must read for all on the spiritual journey.

—— Sophfronia Scott, author of The Seeker and the Monk and Love's Long Line

John blew away the dust of many years of spiritual disillusionment and blessed the world with an ancient message infused with beauty, love and divine truths. This was a man formed from the wildness of clay and rock of the West coast of County Clare. It was a privilege to know John and to witness him enliven weary souls in search of the divine spark. He was and continues to be an Anam Cara (soul friend) to those of us blessed to have known him and for all who continue to walk the path through his inspired writings.

—— Áine Minogue, Irish Musician

An extraordinarily compelling book that left me seeing with fresh eyes. Blending expert historical storytelling with piercing memoir, Rachel Hewitt leads the reader over moors and mountains on a grand tour of grief, solitude, camaraderie, and women's long struggle to claim the freedom of the outdoors

—— OLIVER BURKEMAN, author of Four Thousand Weeks

A spectacular achievement... It's beautiful, deeply researched and eye-opening

—— Critic

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