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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
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| Book | Searching... Putnam Main Public Library | 155.41246 LAN | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A Wall Street Journal bestseller.
New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster is here to help you chill the hell out.
When did USA become shorthand for the United States of Anxiety? From the moment Americans wake up, we're bombarded with all-new terrifying news about crime, the environment, politics, and stroke-inducing foods we've been enjoying for years. We're judged by social media's faceless masses, pressured into maintaining a Pinterest-perfect home, and expected to base our self-worth on retweets, faves, likes, and followers. Our collective FOMO, and the disparity between the ideal and reality, is leading us to spend more and feel worse. No wonder we're getting twitchy. Save for an Independence Day -style alien invasion, how do we begin to escape from the stressors that make up our days?
Jen Lancaster is here to take a hard look at our elevating anxieties, and with self-deprecating wit and levelheaded wisdom, she charts a path out of the quagmire that keeps us frightened of the future and ashamed of our imperfectly perfect human lives. Take a deep breath, and her advice, and you just might get through a holiday dinner without wanting to disown your uncle.
Author Notes
Jen Lancaster was born in November 1967. After graduating with a B. A. in political science, she worked for an HMO and then at a technology company. In December 2002, after being unemployed for over a year, she launched a website to air her frustrations about unemployment and it gained popularity quickly. Her first book, Bitter Is the New Black, was published in 2005. Her other works include Bright Lights, Big Ass; Such a Pretty Fat; Pretty in Plaid; My Fair Lazy; Jeneration X; If You Were Here, and the Tao of Martha.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lancaster (Here I Go Again) humorously considers the role of anxiety in American life in a delightful and perceptive book packed with tips on how to relax. Lancaster uses "Maslow's Hierarchy"--a theory developed by mid-20th-century psychologist Abraham Maslow that identifies critical human needs--as a framework for considering how people's needs (physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization) are being met today. Lives are more stressful than ever, Lancaster writes, adding: "I'd give anything to go back to the innocence and ease of my 1970s childhood, despite growing up in the golden age of serial killers." The author shows how distractions (TV, social media) change one's sense of need and result in stress. The need for shelter, for example, is manipulated by home renovation shows that make one's own home feel inadequate; the need for financial security is impacted by social media platforms that encourage people to gawk at other people's wealth; and the need for friendship has been upended by a desire to get likes rather than to be liked. Lancaster recommends forgetting the noise and focusing on what genuinely makes one happy, such as developing a hobby and accepting oneself, flaws and all. Lancaster is very funny, and her insightful, always entertaining critique may motivate readers to back away from social media, if only a little bit. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
The bestselling author looks at why we have become a nation plagued by anxiety. According to a 2018 Gallup Poll, writes Lancaster, most Americans experience stress on a daily basis. In fact, "we are more likely to be stressed out than the residents of almost every country in the world." Overwhelmed by her own skyrocketing anxiety, the author was determined to understand why. Through her research, comparing conditions of today with those of prior generations, she found, unsurprisingly, that one of the main culprits is social media, which "gives us real-time metrics about our popularity, vis-à-vis likes, follows, retweets, et cetera." Eventually, this "leads us to compare everyone's highlight reel to our day-to-day reality, and it's a drain on our mental well-being." Looking at Maslow's hierarchy, she writes that "the abundance of and access to [food], particularly when consumed in the company of others, should be what decreases our collective anxiety." However, due to diets and unhealthy body-image expectations, "we've replaced the stress of not having enough to eat with the need to demonstrate how much better we eat than our peers." Additionally, with the advent of TV shows dedicated to renovations and interior decorating, the "idea of shelter as the most basic need has morphed into a tangible demonstration of our value as people and an important expression of our souls, greatly upping the ante in terms of stress." Thankfully, the book is not all doom and gloom, as the author includes enough humor to keep the pages turning. Despite the constant need to remain plugged in--and to maintain the polished sheen of our online identities--Lancaster explores how social media can also make us feel connected. Armed with wit and insight, she plots a simple, easy-to-follow course to navigate our anxieties and better manage our levels of stress. Though not groundbreaking, this is sound advice we all should heed. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Table of Contents
| Letter from the Author | p. 1 |
| Part I One Nation, Under Stress | p. 3 |
| Anxieties Unbound | p. 5 |
| The State of Our Stressed-Out Union | p. 9 |
| Part II Physiological Needs: Food, Sleep, Clothing, Shelter, and Wi-Fi | p. 21 |
| You Are What You Eat? | p. 23 |
| Fear of a Fat Planet | p. 37 |
| Fashion Forward | p. 57 |
| Gimme Shelter | p. 71 |
| Part III Safety Needs: Personal/Financial Security, Climate, and Family Health | p. 83 |
| Life Is Hazardous to Your Health | p. 85 |
| Global Warring | p. 103 |
| New Sheriff in Town | p. 117 |
| All Politics Is Local | p. 137 |
| Part IV Social Needs: Friendships, Intimacy, Family, Love, and Belonging | p. 149 |
| But What about the Children? | p. 151 |
| Momming So Hard | p. 161 |
| Friending Is Not a Verb | p. 181 |
| Part V Esteem Needs: Joy, Creativity, Happiness, Desire for Fame and Glory | p. 197 |
| The Lobby for a Hobby | p. 199 |
| Remember My Name | p. 211 |
| Funny Girl | p. 223 |
| Part VI Self-Actualization Needs: Thinking, Learning, Decision-Making, Values, Beliefs, Fulfillment | p. 231 |
| Now What? | p. 233 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 241 |
| Notes | p. 243 |
| About the Author | p. 275 |
