By combining self-help and literature, the School of Life’s first novel does both a disservice | Alice Kemp-Habib

Billed as ‘a therapeutic novel’, the publisher’s first foray into fiction follows 29-year-old Anna’s mental health journey – with a view to helping the reader. But how useful can such clunky writing be?At 29 years old, Anna is full of self-loathing. She hates her job, her boyfriend is having an affair and her parents’ response to her troubles is indifferent at best. This is the starting point for A Voice of One’s Own, the first novel to be published by The School of Life. In its pages, fiction and self-help make for uneasy bedfellows.Co-founded by philosopher Alain de Botton in 2008, The School of Life broadly aims to teach its “students” how to lead calmer, more fulfilling lives. Its publishing arm, launched in 2016, disseminates self-help literature with pithy titles such as Reasons to be Hopeful and A Simpler Life, which purport to blend philosophical wisdom with practical advice. Like De Botton himself, the books are Marmite; while many critique the school for peddling watered-down pop philosophy, its teachings have clearly found a market. The organisation has branches in seven major cities, and its most popular title, Big Ideas for Curious Minds, has sold over 120,000 copies globally, while its workshops on playfulness, confidence and self-awareness regularly sell out. The new book represents a departure, however. Through A Voice of One’s Own, The School of Life is showing, rather than telling, its readers how to live better. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-07 15:45:50 UTC ]
News tagged with: #publishing arm #practical advice #major cities #popular title #big ideas #curious minds #first novel

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A Reading List of Realistic Portraits of Mothers and Daughters in Literature

When reading about mothers and daughters, we might feel grateful we didn’t have to endure such conflict and trauma. We might long for what we, ourselves, never had. But then again, we might feel seen. More often, literature reflects troubling, toxic, or estranged mother-daughter relationships... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-01 09:35:26 UTC ]
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WLT to Host “Indigenous Literatures of the Americas” Event at Green Feather Books, by The Editors of WLT

WLT to Host “Indigenous Literatures of the Americas” Event at Green Feather Books, by The Editors of WLT News and Events [email protected] Mon, 08/28/2023 - 15:10 World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-08-28 20:10:58 UTC ]
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India’s Jaipur Literature Festival Heads for Three US Cities

Stops in the states of Texas, Colorado, and New York are planned for the Jaipur Literature Festival's international tour in September. The post India’s Jaipur Literature Festival Heads for Three US Cities appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-28 18:36:15 UTC ]
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The First App to “Help” Libraries and Schools with Book Bans Has Arrived–It’s Not What It Seems

BookmarkED claims to help schools and parents navigate book bans. But where and how the app gets is information is a secret. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-28 14:02:30 UTC ]
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Which European city appears the most often in literature?

If you guessed London, you’re right—London is mentioned at least three times more often than any other European city. (Wonder why?) As Travel Daily reports, a digital printing company called Aura Print has apparently processed the entire Google Books database to “identify the cumulative mentions... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-22 14:51:06 UTC ]
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Study Up on Campus Novels: A Back-to-School-Inspired Reading List for Grown-Ups

These campus novels for adults raise questions around race, class, or gender or are simply set in or around campuses, including Real Life by Brandon Taylor. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-21 10:33:00 UTC ]
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An Iowa school district is using AI to ban books

It certainly didn't take long for AI's other shoe to drop, what with the emergent technology already being perverted to commit confidence scams and generate spam content. We can now add censorship to that list as the Globe Gazette reports the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-14 20:25:41 UTC ]
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Christine Baranski and Jesse Green on Narrating the Life of Mary Rodgers

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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-11 08:22:34 UTC ]
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12 back-to-school gadgets you didn’t know you needed

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[ PC World | 2023-08-04 15:00:00 UTC ]
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A Poet Captures the Terror of Life in an Authoritarian State

A memoir by Tahir Hamut Izgil, a Uyghur intellectual who escaped China, explores the corrosive effect of repression and surveillance on his community. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-08-01 12:36:10 UTC ]
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10 back-to-school gadgets you didn’t know you needed

Some tech purchases are no-brainers when getting ready for a fresh school year, like buying a new laptop or Chromebook. But other back-to-school products aren’t quite as obvious. They might seem purely optional—stuff you buy if you have money to throw around. But don’t be so quick to... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-07-28 10:45:00 UTC ]
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Q+A on life support as executive producer joins Stan Grant and heads for the door | The Weekly Beast

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[ The Guardian | 2023-07-28 05:07:54 UTC ]
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The Best New Korean Literature In Translation

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[ Book Riot | 2023-07-27 10:30:00 UTC ]
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'It could very well bankrupt us,' says bookseller suing over Texas school book ban

Valerie Koehler says that if her book shop is forced to comply with a new state law regulating public school literature, she might go out of business. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-07-26 21:13:13 UTC ]
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Zamora: It's time for the Pulitzer Prize for literature to accept noncitizens

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-07-20 20:55:53 UTC ]
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Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times: Life Under Occupation in WWII

Before you say it, I know: there are so, so many books about the Second World War. And when I set out to write my most recent novel, The Paris Deception, the thought crossed my mind—do we really need another book about Paris during the war? But historical fiction is a rich field, and there […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-30 08:55:14 UTC ]
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How to Get Free Books For Your School Library (and Use Them to Host a Book Fair)

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[ Book Riot | 2023-06-26 10:34:00 UTC ]
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‘Sand Land’ first impressions: An Akira Toriyama manga, brought to life

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[ Engadget | 2023-06-22 14:00:23 UTC ]
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Cormac McCarthy, bleak and brutal titan of American literature, dead at 89

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[ CBC | 2023-06-13 20:01:40 UTC ]
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