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Existential Despair: A Guide to Sad Books
Not yet published
Expected 19 Jan 27‘It is never too late to lean into sadness and realize that you can sit with it and others and survive’
Literature is the way we wrestle with grief, meaning and survival. In this book, Justin McDaniel, Professor and former Buddhist monk, invites us on a sixteen-week course of radical reading designed to unsettle, transform and restore. Each chapter is modelled on his popular university course, which requires the class to read a novel in a single sitting, grappling with complex feelings that arise and then articulating them before they evaporate in the busyness and distraction of the outside world.
Through a captivating range of modern classics from around the globe – by James Baldwin, Carmen Maria Machado, Yukio Mishima, Ottessa Moshfegh, Paul Bowles and more – Existential Despair explores the experiences that shape us and test us to our limits, from childhood to longing, sex, loneliness and death.
Existential Despair is a rare opportunity to pursue an immersive reading experience that is so much more than entertainment; one that could save your life.
Justin McDaniel 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
Literature is the way we wrestle with grief, meaning and survival. In this book, Justin McDaniel, Professor and former Buddhist monk, invites us on a sixteen-week course of radical reading designed to unsettle, transform and restore. Each chapter is modelled on his popular university course, which requires the class to read a novel in a single sitting, grappling with complex feelings that arise and then articulating them before they evaporate in the busyness and distraction of the outside world.
Through a captivating range of modern classics from around the globe – by James Baldwin, Carmen Maria Machado, Yukio Mishima, Ottessa Moshfegh, Paul Bowles and more – Existential Despair explores the experiences that shape us and test us to our limits, from childhood to longing, sex, loneliness and death.
Existential Despair is a rare opportunity to pursue an immersive reading experience that is so much more than entertainment; one that could save your life.
Justin McDaniel 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 19, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Existential despair is the millennial state of being and this narrative really grasps the melancholy of the human condition. I am drawn to this title and was not disappointed. A formulaic approach to McDaniel’s class on the existential. This is a guide on becoming comfortable with uncomfortable discussions related to all thing's melancholy. Instead of being stuck in a state of despair we can learn how to manipulate this into our art and understanding of others. Through the connections you make in this book you are bound to find something relatable.
The discussions here are noteworthy and focus on literature, poetry, and media that may not have a happy conclusion. An extensive but non exhaustive list to show you how he incorporates the readings in his classroom to have people engage. I do encourage you to approach this narrative in a decent head space. The material can be dense, but it is fruitful to gain something from. My negative critique of this narrative is that at times the author’s ego gets in the way. I want to hear more about how he uses this syllabus in the classroom instead of the moments of a hero complex. The inclusion of the discussion prompts, and further readings does highlight his passion for the project and why these discussions are vital! All opinions are my own. Thank you, Justin McDaniel, Crown Publishing, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
3.75 rated up!
For tarot readings, recommendations, and reviews, check out my blog, brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
The discussions here are noteworthy and focus on literature, poetry, and media that may not have a happy conclusion. An extensive but non exhaustive list to show you how he incorporates the readings in his classroom to have people engage. I do encourage you to approach this narrative in a decent head space. The material can be dense, but it is fruitful to gain something from. My negative critique of this narrative is that at times the author’s ego gets in the way. I want to hear more about how he uses this syllabus in the classroom instead of the moments of a hero complex. The inclusion of the discussion prompts, and further readings does highlight his passion for the project and why these discussions are vital! All opinions are my own. Thank you, Justin McDaniel, Crown Publishing, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
3.75 rated up!
For tarot readings, recommendations, and reviews, check out my blog, brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
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June 15, 2026📚👏🏼wow.
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July 24, 2026’None of us outgrows the need for what Baldwin, Machado, Mishima and time can offer’
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews