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Mash-Up Guide: Books To Stave Off Our Existential Dread

Man’s Search For Meaning

By Victor Frankl

Photo courtesy of Bookshop

As relevant today as when it was first published in 1946. Viktor Frankl accounts his time in Nazi concentration camps and his theory of the human will to find significance, purpose and strength in times of great despair.

Severance

By Ling Ma

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A satire for the end of the world. We follow Candace Chen, first-gen Millennial office drone, through a post-apocalyptic NYC. It’s stunning, it’s hilarious, it’s a heartfelt tribute to the connections that drive us to do more than survive

What My Bones Know

By Stephanie Foo

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Described by one reviewer as “achingly exquisite,” Foo’s deep dive into understanding her complex PTSD illuminates the causes and effects of repeat trauma, whether as a result of abuse or from being passed down through generations. It’s both powerful and empowering.

The Vegetarian

By Han Kang

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Nightmares drive Yeong-hye to denounce eating meat in this Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free. Terrifying and terrific.

Elga Dies Dreaming

By Xochitl Gonzalez

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The tale of a status-driven wedding planner, her congressman brother, her absent mother, her Puerto Rican roots — all in the midst of Hurricane Maria.

The Book of Form and Emptiness

By Ruth Ozeki

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Thirteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices belonging to the things in his house. As his mother develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous. Thus begins a riveting plot, vibrantly engaging everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions.

Essential Labor

By Angela Garbes

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A reflection on the state of caregiving in America, and an exploration of mothering as a means of social change. Writer Angela Garbes found herself pondering a vital question: How, under our current circumstances that leave us lonely, exhausted, and financially strained, might we demand more from American family life?

This Time Tomorrow

By Emma Straub

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On her 40th birthday, Alice wakes up in 1996 as her sixteen-year-old self, reuniting with the younger version of her father in a charming time travel twist on a moving father-daughter story. 

Happy-Go Lucky

By David Sedaris

Photo courtesy of Bookshop

A new collection of personal essays by David Sedaris that captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about our recent upheavals and expresses both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all.

The Ministry For The Future

By Kim Stanley Robinson

Photo courtesy of Bookshop

Fictional eyewitness accounts tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. An extraordinary work of science fiction that will change the way you think about the climate crisis and the real future of our world.

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