Exuberance: The Passion for Life

by Kay Redfield Jamison

A national bestselling author examines one of the mind's most exalted states—one that is crucially important to learning, risk-taking, social cohesiveness, and survival itself. 

“[Jamison is] that rare writer who can offer a kind of unified field theory of science and art.” — The Washington Post Book World

With the same grace and breadth of learning she brought to her studies of the mind’s pathologies, Kay Redfield Jamison examines one of its most exalted exuberance. This “abounding, ebullient, effervescent emotion” manifests itself everywhere from child’s play to scientific breakthrough.

The Passion for Life introduces us to such notably irrepressible types as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Richard Feynman, as well as Peter Pan, dancing porcupines, and Charles Schulz’s Snoopy. It explores whether exuberance can be inherited, parses its neurochemical grammar, and documents the methods people have used to stimulate it. The resulting book is an irresistible fusion of science and soul.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Science, Self Help, Philosophy, Health

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Kay Redfield Jamison (born June 22, 1946) is an American clinical psychologist and writer who is one of the foremost experts on bipolar disorder. She is Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is an Honorary Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.

Reviews

[Dan Rivas]

What I learned from this book:

Talking about exuberance really isn't that exciting.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes an in-depth look not just at happiness, but at something less rarely examined: pure joy and exuberance. The author explores historical figures and fictional characters she felt exemplified this trait, such as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Peter Pan, Tigger and Snoopy. She also gives examples of how various types of animals (dolphins, elephants, dogs and even rats and porcupines) also seem to exhibit forms of joy. There's less than I expected in the way of scientific exploration of this emotion, though she does go into that a bit as well. She points out that joy is often a central part of learning, as well as the drive/quest for research and discovery, relationships/social development (in the form of play), and sometimes even our survival. Overall, it's very well-researched and thorough. My main complaint is that, for a book about passion and exuberance, it lacked much luster and felt a bit dry to me. Not the type of book to try to get through all at once like I did.

[stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got this book in hardback the minute it came out. it's beautiful, and it makes me happy.

the psychology of happiness is becoming on one of the newest fields of research, and i think that's awesome. for so long, the field has focused on the depressing things, the crazy things, no one has thought to look at positive emotions and why they happen. which is ironic, in a way, because you would think if you could increase positive events/emotions in say, a depressed person's life, it would help their depression.

it always reminds me what a young discipline psych really is.

regardless, this bookis full of happiness. you really feel it through the writing, as well, because you know she wanted to write about this, and her passion is a little contagious. it's one of the only books exploring positive emotions out there (still) but it's accessible (like all her works) and it's beautiful.

[Taylor Kozak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Reading this book was such an amazing experience. I’ve sampled some of Redfield’s writings on bipolar disorder, and was interested in her books. I fell in love by the introduction: why is “depression” and “illness” more studied than joy? Exuberance is sometimes to be brought out through mania. She highlights historical figures (Teddy Roosevelt, Patton, Churchill, etc) who owned exuberant dispositions, as well as children’s books characters (Tigger, Mr. Toad, Peter Pan). Exuberance has its limits though. Left unbridled, it can lead to irritation with others, and acting before analyzing the consequences. She also cited multiple accounts of how much nature, and play, is important in this pursuit. We can learn from our countless mammalian cousins the joy that they receive through these endowed channels. Redfield’s storytelling is comparative to Gladwell and Lewis, but with the feel of being in the seat of her classroom, or listening to her peer-reviewed articles. Definitely will be a re-read.

[Riva Sciuto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this one. While Jamison's thesis is important -- that exuberance, joy and enthusiasm should be examined just as much as grief, sorrow and depression -- the book itself is a bit scattered and extremely repetitive.

Pros: she provides detailed biographical examples of the prominently exuberant (Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Winston Churchill, FDR, James Watson, Walt Whitman, and others); she adequately addresses the detriments of exuberance gone too far (mania, war); and she touts the benefits of exuberance in leadership, science, the arts, education, nature, and human discovery.

Cons: she repeats her arguments way too often; she doesn't focus on the power of exuberance to endure tragedy or hardship (which could have been powerful); and the entire book probably could've been a long essay in a psychology journal. It reminded me a bit of the counterargument to Susan Cain's 'Quiet.' I didn't love it, but it's a good study on the nature of the human spirit. 3.5 stars!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Kay Redfield Jamison's since I read An Unquiet Mind in college, so I thought I would try out one of her more scholarly books (instead of her memoirs). I like scholarly reads, but I kind of found myself getting bored, as the Jamison just pulled more and more examples of exuberance, many of them (I thought) overlapping and redundant. The book (omitting endnotes) is about 300 pages, and I felt like it could have been considerably shorter because I felt like many of the chapters overlapped and repeated so much.

Per usual, Jamison's prose is clear, her quotations are on topic, and her examples of exuberance are far-ranging (Porcupines to General Patton).

I would like to thank this book for informing that porcupines dance, however. That fact makes me extremely happy (if not exuberant), and I am glad to know it. And now you know it too.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to struggle to get through it. Just never captured my interest. Was that because my psychiatrist recommended it to me? I guess he thought I needed more passion in my life. But this book didn't do it.

[Sherry (sethurner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kay Redfield Jamison has written a book that was for me a joy to read. She looks at that champagne of emotions, exuberance. Joy, curiosity, playfulness, and love are all aspects of exuberance, and Jamison looks at how it is important to, even essential in the development of animals - including humans. Then she goes on and shows how it is manifested in people like Teddy Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, John Muir, PT Barnum, and Richard Feynman. She also looks at joyful exuberance in fictional characters (Snoopy, Peter Pan, Tigger, Mr. Toad, characters in O Pioneers! and Giants in the Earth). She acknowledges the dark side of this trait, and examines how exuberance can be an aspect of violent and destructive behavior (in soldiers for example), and how it can be paired with depression. I was fascinated. There is a lengthy section of notes, and the book has a good index.

[James Madsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although more scholarly than John D. Gartner's The Hypomanic Edge (q.v.), Exuberance was actually, I thought, a duller book. Gartner captures better the joie de vivre and the outright craziness that can often characterize the person who is chronically high on life. However, Jamison is a far more careful writer, and she doesn't go out onto a limb nearly so much as does Gartner, whose main thesis is supported by dramatic anecdotes rather than by a lot of hard science.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot more published about psychological pathology than there is about positive emotions. Jamison follows up her breakthrough memoir An Unquiet Mind with a multidimension study of exuberance, a bubbly, playful, extremely joyful emotion that seems inextricably tied to what we consider the good life.

Jamison weaves together literary analysis of classic children's stories (Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in the Williow), with biographies of exuberant men (Teddy Roosevelt, P.T. Barnum), and summaries of the psychological research. Exuberance is associated with play in almost all mammals, and play seem to serve key functions in learning, socialization, and allowing organisms to cope with risk. Exuberance may be even more fundamental, as Jamison links it to the burst of life in the spring and summer, and to the human ability to experience divine creation. Exuberance has a dangerous side, wearing out people and trending towards mania.

But for all the bubbles, this book offers little insight about exuberance itself, coming down to the safe psychological conventional wisdom that it's a mood that ranks high on both sensation (it feels good) and energy (you want to do more). Exuberance seems like one of those innate traits that stable from birth, either you're exuberance or you're not.

[Audrey Goldfarb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Kay Redfield Jamison's writing, and this book was no exception. However, many of the anecdotes, character sketches, and discussions of experimental studies felt redundant. The chapters in which she discussed the correlations between exuberance and extraversion from childhood and adulthood dragged for me.

My favorite part was the discussion of exuberance in science. As a scientist, I relate to the feeling of elation from moments of discovery, but more crucially to the exhilaration of the day-to-day process. The double-edged sword of exuberance was well described with historical anecdotes and character sketches of over-zealous leaders. Descriptions of bloodthirsty zealots in war were particularly haunting.

I'm glad I stuck with it to the second half of the book despite the slow (to my taste) first half.

[Jimmy Ele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining take on the feeling of exuberance throughout the different spheres of humanity's prominent exuberant figures. I reveled in it's take on the subject of exuberance in science and disliked the moments when she tried to link the feeling of exuberance with the apes (who she believes are our ancestors). The reason for the loss of a star is for the moments of flights of fancy where she attributed the seasons to gods and other moments that didn't seem too scholarly. However, after getting through those sporadic episodes, I came to enjoy the book immensely.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely researched survey of man's inherent desire to capture and retain exuberance. Jamison discusses the various means some of us use to preserve the often fleeting joys of exuberance experienced in our youth, and describes some particularly vibrant individuals for whom exuberance is a natural and integral component of their personalities. She highlights the productive capacity of exuberance to propel ideas forward into action, but also explores the connection between exuberance and depression often seen in those who truly experience all of life to its fullest. Aside from making me yearn for the days when exuberance came more naturally and more strongly defined my life than it has lately, Jamison's vivid descriptions of the experience and importance of exuberance help direct my focus towards recognizing the crucial role that exuberance plays in the ability to derive satisfaction from life, and this seems to make it a bit easier to seek out and appreciate every opportunity to lead life with more exuberance.

[Lightreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Context and analysis on positive mood and passion. Chewy, verdant, wild and dense, like all of her books. She suffers from an extreme case of bipolar, and you can tell that many of her books are conceived and written at the height of controlled mania. It lends them a scope, a degree of lateral thinking, an inclusiveness that's pleasing and a little overwhelming. I tend to walk away from her books, including this one, with a deeper knowledge of
history, poetry, or literature. This book is particularly intense and associative, and it's a bit light on the psychological and psychopharmacological research for my taste. But I love what she writes irregardless of content, for the way she harnesses pathology and turns it into brilliance (her previous book on manic depression among famous artists and poets and the effect on the creative temperament and output could just as easily have featured an autobiographical chapter).

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on audiotape in my car. The narrator was fine. Lots of heavy detailed stuff in here which makes it difficult to absorb while driving and multitasking. This is part of the positive psychology movement which I absolutely adore and glad it came into being in the late 1990s. Thank you Martin Seligman. Exuberance can be defined as unrestrained joyful energy and it is vital to life. Some have more of it than others and they would be blessed.

There are numerous examples of historical figures who were exuberant including Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, astronauts, explorers, and more. On the flip side, dangers exist to replicate exuberance via drugs, alcohol, and other unsavory behaviors. Having exuberance in the end drives discoveries, and great accomplishments in art and science. We could all us a little more of it to lead a happy and joyful life.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of her own history and struggles, I love everything this author has to say about states of mental health and illness. It's difficult to find a nonfiction writer who writes as beautifully as she does. I love the opening lines of the book:

"It is a curious request to make of God. 'Shield your joyous ones', asks the Anglican prayer: 'Shield your joyous ones'. God is more usually asked to watch over those who are ill or in despair."

[Carolyn Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting and insightful! Reading about artists, presidents, writers, poets who exuded exuberance was quite helpful in understanding this so neglected emotion. I appreciate this quality so much more and reading about the negative aspects of this aspect of personality was helpful.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing reminder to add play to the schedule and how much better life is for those that do.

[Elizabeth R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, see reading comments. I may write more later.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of quotes about roosevelt and chruchill, peter pan, tigger, and toad (frog and toad). And then in the end she seems to equate being exuberant with being manic with bipolar and cyclothymia with a reverence. But it did make me remember what it was to feel curious and ebullient and wonder how I let stability be more desirable than that.

"A leader is someone with the ability to create infection enthusiasm" - ted turner

"The hard work ultimately made wide inroads into his grief."

"His exultant roots were deep and never, as a writer or as a speaker, was he fully able to bridle the abounding delight of his language."

"Strong emotion, more often than not, is at cross purposes with accurate scientific description."

"[Play] is a deadly serious business. Much learning must get done in not much time for youth is indeed a stuff which will not endure."

"We tend, as a thinking species, to emphasize the beholdenness of our emotions to our thoughts rather than to trace our thinking to the ancient powers of our emotions. Yet our emotions were laid down far earlier than language or imaginative thought."

"He spins his fantasies with the inventive energies of a child and elaborates them with the delicacy and detail of a Venetian glass blower."

"Peter moves neither forward nor backward in his dealings with the world. He repeats his mistakes and repeats his adventures and accordingly advances not at all in his knowledge of himself or others. The promise of joy compels him. But the joy he finds is fleeting, unremembered and put neither to good nor to particular use."

"Those animals more likely to explore novel objects are...more likely to be leaders, to forage independently and over a greater range, and to be better able to adapt to novel environments. They, by dint of their behavior, are also more likely to put themselves in harm's way."

"Enthusiasm itself leads to a more fervent engagement with ideas and an impassioned pursuit of interests."

"Mood and energy generally soar during mania, and with them soars thought."

"The relationship between elated mood and fluency of thinking is, up to a point, linear....too much elevation results in fragmented thinking and even psychosis... Mood effects not only thought but the uses, if any, to which thought is put."

"...believed that his shear will and optimism led the nation through its grimmest times. Somehow he managed to transfuse hope from his own vast stores of hopefulness and energy."

"Great scientists and explorers, the creatures who look at the stuff of the universe and wonder at their specious ways and origins, tend to be enthusiastics, optimistic, and energetic by temperament.... exuberance sever science well. It helps to overcome the tedium and setbacks intrinsic to scientific work, overrides mental and physical weariness, and makes risk taking both attractive and probable."

"Exploration is its own reward."

"There is pleasure in the run of course but the high glory is in being first across the line."

"Instead of entreaties to slow down, be patient, be circumspect, someone was acknowledging that impatience is the obverse of exuberance and that exuberance was a good, even necessary thing."

"One side of the brain lopes ebulliently from thought to thought and the other side applies a quick remorseless logic to ill conceived ideas."

"As a result exuberance demands a reverse be expected and admired, namely withdrawal and contemplation, silent thought. Thus it is akin to cyclothymia in its necessary swings and reversal. To have force, effect, meaning requires depth and that requires subdued colors and sounds and cyclothymia."

"A dashing, courageous, wild, and unbalanced leader. Good for operations requiring thrust and push but at a loss in any operation requiring skill and judgement." - sir allen francis brook on patton

"Strong passions, like fire, can civilize or kill."

"the author struggled with the distinction between imaginings and delusions."

"Those apparently exuberant are less often recognized as having a darker side. And those cast as doomed or depressive may never be seen for the liveliness they actually possess."

"the incapacity of Hyde's vileness to exist outside of the sustaining petri dish of Dr. Jekyll's life and values."

"The juxtaposition of the exuberant and the malignant can be potentially dangerous. But a balance between the two can provide ballast and gravitas. Excessive lightness can be given a grace-note by the dark as melancholy and mania can give each other depth and height."

"High rates of manic depressive illness have been observed in American immigrant groups which suggests the possibility that individuals with mild forms of the illness or temperamental variance of high energy and exuberant mood may have been selected for."

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written and researched book, let down by ill-defined terms and frustratingly vague thesis.

As best I could make out, Jamison defines "exuberance" as anything or anyone that is ... exuberant. You are "exuberant" when you display ... exuberance. And it matters because ... exuberance is a good thing.

My favourite chapter is the one in which Jamison goes back to the traditional, dictionary definition of "exuberance" ("to be fruitful, to be abundant ... at its core a concept of fertility") and tracks how this has morphed in popular usage to mean enthusiasm, excitement, "an abounding, ebullient, effervescent emotion." This chapter (Chapter 2, "This Wonderful Loveliness"), comes closest to defining her terms, to moving beyond exuberance as just about anything nice, the hallmark of just about any life of accomplishment.

I had real problems with her evidence, her Poster Boys (and girls) for exuberance. Starting with, and recurring through the book President Theodore Roosevelt. Jamison catalogues TR's rollercoaster of a life and a career -- the Rough Riders, his ill advised and poorly planned expedition to chart an Amazonian river*, his betrayal of political colleagues, his wild highs and bottom of the pit lows -- as if channelling TR himself, that this is all a jolly bully good thing. Over the course of a lifetime, TR hunted and slaughtered thousands of innocent animals, in his ongoing quest to convince himself that he was NOT weak, was NOT unworthy. His exuberant enthusiasms literally got people killed. When life (as life does) threw him the cruelest of cruel curve balls, and his young wife and his mother died on the same day ... he exuberantly ran away and played cowboy for a couple of years, abandoning his motherless baby daughter to ... whoever.

Sorry, I don't see Teddy Roosevelt as poster boy for anything. And do NOT get me started on J.M. Barrie.

Jamison has some very interesting points to make -- that positive mental attitudes are neglected by researchers, in favour of the sexier "morbid emotions." That when they do attract the attention of clinicians and researchers, it with the objective of medicating them away, rather than seeing them as a natural part of life, and a positive part of the creative process. These are important issues. And I know that Jamison addresses the negative side of exuberance, but by that time, I think it's too little, too late.

* For a full account of the horrors of TR's Amazon debacle, see Candice Millard's The River of Doubt https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Akash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was boring but informative at the same time, if you can get past the boring redundant parts that is. It begins with how youngsters and kids are exuberant by nature and that exuberance makes for a great learning pad early on in life. The author then goes on to state animal studies of how uninhibited exuberant play during infancy goes on to define and play a crucial role in nourishing social affinities helping them to become cooperating members of a cohesive social unit later on in adult life. The author goes on to quote big personalities who've used the power of exuberance and euphoria to get ahead in life in their respective fields. He also mentions that too much exuberance can spill over into insanity and that many of those who experienced highly exuberant states have also experienced manic-depressive states. He states that we need to find a clear balance between exuberance and happiness so that over exuberance does turn into uncontrolled mania. The one thing that I did like about this book was the real life examples of how great personalities, whom you would assume to be very serious and stately such as Churchill, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Feynman and Wilson Bentley turned out to be extremely exuberant and joyous types, and it is their love for life and its accompanying exuberant states that sent them soaring to greatness.

The main reason for the 3 star rating is because it tends to be repetitive and the message it tries to convey ends up becoming redundant. The author basically tries to convey the same message through different narratives, sometimes in the form of Pooh and Piglet, sometimes in the form of famous personalities like Winston Churchill , sometimes with the story of the Toad in "The wind in the willows". While that might have been done to remove the monotony of the subject, I just felt like it was serving the same wine in different glasses. The author tries to draw parallels between Champagne and exuberance, by stating that highly exuberant personalities are like champagne, always bubbling with effervescent joy and contentment. The book felt quite boring and repetitive at times, even with the inclusion of all the scientific data and brain imaging studies. I had to push myself to come back to read it a few days again and again from my last bookmark. Maybe I'm not optimistic and exuberant :P

The author draws many parallels to exuberance including examples from all walks of life including but not limited to nature, books, music, dance, ceremony, play, scientific research, so on and so forth. The author also talks about the human affinity to seeking high moods, referring to our discovery and findings of highly intoxicating substances that nature has so benevolently offered. Lastly he talks bout how exuberant is a necessary prerequisite for pursuits such as war in humans and hunting in animals. If there is no reward there is no thrill in the chase. Lastly towards the very end of the book, he talks about how not all exuberance is tethered to reality and about how there is a very thin line between exuberance and the pathological state of mania. "Normal exuberance can escalate into pathological enthusiasm, anger, or even mania" he says. Moods are mutable. All in all, this is a good read, that could have well been condensed into 50 lesser pages if it were not for the long stories and accounts of exuberant states.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came to Good Reads to see what others had to say about this book, because I had such mixed & confused thoughts when I finished it! Signed up to share that my opinion overall was it is:

Worth the read for a unique survey on a fascinating topic (that we all need more of in our lives!!) - just don’t try too hard to connect all the things within a chapter or across chapters.

The Good: The topic is fascinating. I have read alot on the topic of happiness - and this is certainly a very different book (in a good way) than, for example, “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu. It draws equally from psychology, literature, and history which is rare & makes for a fun read. Even the chapter titles are exuberant (“The Champagne of Moods” is my favorite)! And this book has more dogeared pages with anecdotes, facts, quotes, or wisdoms I want to get back to than any other book I own.

Could Be Better: Organization. Other reviewers mentioned this already (felt like repeating points, etc). It took me a long, long time to get thru this book. Partially because I was trying hard to commit the interesting parts to memory - without the help of a good organizational structure to do that with. I could recite some of the anecdotes about the exuberance of elephant researchers, but couldn’t tell you if that was in the same chapter as the one on Patton or which of the 10 chapters either of those are in when examining the Contents page. Would also have loved a bit more about the scientific research/findings around exuberance (plenty about scientists *experiencing* exuberance, not as much on their study of the topic).

[Bets]

I have read this book in bits and pieces. The fact is I lived much of my life surviving on that beautiful, exuberant hypomania to contrast my depressions. I wanted to love this book, or at least find some answers. But the fact is as i,ve gotten older the manias have gotten more severe and more frightening, with a gorgeous, creative week that might happen between up and more up. Sometimes Jamison reminds me of my psychiatrist. A little too attached to the idea the bipolar disorder CAUSES the creativity and hyper real. In fact, I have always found it a CORRELATION. The two can be related, but they don’t have to be. I have known people rock steady emotionally who are beyond creative, who can be ebullient. I have known bipolar people who live small, enclosed lives with mania that leads to drug abuse to occasionally violence. (Though statistically far less violent than your average yokel. Or equally). And I have known people like me, where yes— one does feed off the other, but that just lead to forcing hypomanias. I will finish this book sometime. An Unquiet Mind got me through my first diagnosed days with a sense I could find beauty and dignity again. Her prose here is no less enlightening and a well balanced mix of examples and her pyshicatric learning. So I will chip away at it when I am feeling nice and stable. In the mean time, I will be putting it back on the shelf.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, books like this challenge the one-dimensional star rating system here on Goodreads. I notice myself awarding positive ratings for a range of reasons: a book I found highly entertaining, writing I admire, or maybe a central message that feels important. In this case the book was a little too dry and abstract to be read for light entertainment, and the style was a mixture - sometimes rather dense and heavy, but also containing a wealth of surprisingly beautiful sentences and arresting insights. The main thing I appreciated was simply that the book discussed (enthusiastically, and in depth) an idea that resonated with me at the time I read it, in this case the value of exuberance. This concept is examined from all angles, with chapters on various related topics such as how animals play, the exalted states witnessed in those who immerse themselves in nature, and the role of exuberance in scientific enquiry and teaching. I chose to read this because I felt it would challenge me – exuberance not being exactly my personal style – and I did come away from it invigorated and enthused. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of exuberant high-achievers such as Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Feynman, and astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.

[Basel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kay Redfield Jamison's Exuberance is a wholesome book. While it's common for clinical psychologists to study negative emotions, Jamison here offers us an insight into the human mind when it's elated, when it's exuberant. I liked how this is book combines psychology and literary criticism to study the "happy" side of the human wmotion spectrum, in all of its positive sides and negative ones. It's not just about those who are positive, but truly about the exuberant, those who tend to infect us and influence with their joy. Furthermore, I liked how the book investigates why such side of human emotions are less studied by psychologists and psychiatrists. It is one thing to talk about mania, but it's another to talk about elated feelings of exuberance. We can't forget about our happy side if we wish to know the dark one.

It is a good book that I recommend to those interested in psychology, those interested in better understanding our minds, and those who are juste interested in a nice afternoon read about life's passions.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a long read and I definitely had to slog through parts of it. So much of the book romanticizes exuberance while almost ignoring how easily it can slip into mania or other pathologies (at least until the latter few chapters). I put it on the proverbial shelf for a while (it was an audiobook). My desire to finish it was rekindled after reading “Nothing was the Same” In which Jamison writes a memoir about losing her husband and also coincided with the time she wrote Exuberance. I much prefer her memoirs than thematic books. I think this book was a bit disorganized and too broad in scope.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had pretty high hopes for this book, after reading An Unquiet Mind, but I was left really disappointed. There was no clear argument surrounding Exuberance in the piece, which left me mostly feeling confused and waiting for something to happen. Jamison uses examples that leave the reader with a lot of questions. Why mention people like Charles Lindbergh if you do not mention his racism and bigotry? Why use Frederick Douglass' quote about slavery without mentioning the actual horror of it? I'm mostly just confused. Like I said, I had hopes, but this piece was more or less about nothing.

[Elizabeth R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

(not sure what happened... I entered 70% done earlier today).

The book had gotten so interesting, with so many things I wanted to follow up on, that I also purchased what seemed to be the Kindle version, in order to have visual/print versions of the notes and names, and hopefully a bibliography -- but the ebook did not seem to match this version. The chapters, at any rate, were different.

I hope to look into a print version, and will report back later. This book has such a wealth of information in terms of stories about interesting people and their work, aside from the mood part.

[Jackie Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by this book. I really enjoyed An Unquiet Mind, Night Falls Fast, and Touched With Fire, so I decided to give this book a shot even though the topic of exuberance didn’t really interest me to begin with. The book started out great! Reading all the research about play and animals was super fun. But then it became pretty much all anecdotes about exuberant people and I was just kinda like meh this is dull