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Trying to Be Good The Healing Powers of Lying, Cheating, Stealing, and Drugs
Publisher's Summary
Trying to Be Good: The Healing Powers of Lying, Cheating, Stealing, and Drugs by popular radio host, theater maker, online personality, and storyteller Emelia Symington Fedy is her dark and comical story of her addiction to self-help and absolutely obsessive odyssey to find inner peace at all costs.
A ruthless inquiry into her own demons, Emelia never lets herself off the hook on her search, and after a lifetime of misadventures - spending close to $90,000 and two decades hunting down shamans, hypnotists, soul advisors, and online gurus; turning to drugs, bad sex, vaginal weightlifting classes, crystal bowl regression ceremonies, and cosmic dolphins trying to fill the void - her spiritual reckoning finally came when the death of her mom coincided with the birth of her first child.
Rocked with grief, Emelia had no choice but to quit her life-long quest for contentment. She quit drugs. She quit yoga. She quits the search. And in turning towards her pain, Emelia finally finds what she's been longing for her whole life. She can't escape. She's here. She can feel it all.
©2017 Emelia Symington Fedy (P)2017 Emelia Symington Fedy
Trying to Be Good: The Healing Powers of Lying, Cheating, Stealing, and Drugs by popular radio host, theater maker, online personality, and storyteller Emelia Symington Fedy is her dark and comical story of her addiction to self-help and absolutely obsessive odyssey to find inner peace at all costs.
A ruthless inquiry into her own demons, Emelia never lets herself off the hook on her search, and after a lifetime of misadventures - spending close to $90,000 and two decades hunting down shamans, hypnotists, soul advisors, and online gurus; turning to drugs, bad sex, vaginal weightlifting classes, crystal bowl regression ceremonies, and cosmic dolphins trying to fill the void - her spiritual reckoning finally came when the death of her mom coincided with the birth of her first child.
Rocked with grief, Emelia had no choice but to quit her life-long quest for contentment. She quit drugs. She quit yoga. She quits the search. And in turning towards her pain, Emelia finally finds what she's been longing for her whole life. She can't escape. She's here. She can feel it all.
©2017 Emelia Symington Fedy (P)2017 Emelia Symington Fedy
Audible Audio
Published January 2, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 31, 2018
I had a great time with this book. It's exactly what I look for in a memoir. I felt like I was spending time with a fascinating and funny friend. I especially appreciated Emelia's powerful and raw reflections on motherhood and grief. I think it would be an especially healing read for people who feel stuck in life. One thing I love about memoirs is that they let me feel like I get to know people I might not otherwise encounter through the normal course of my life. I don't think Emelia and I have a lot in common - different histories, personalities and trajectories - but I loved the time I got to spend with her and the wisdom she shared with her stories.
October 12, 2019
Entertaining read, but not exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for more stories about her disillusionment with the self-help, new age, and alternative healing worlds, but that was only a small part of the book. I resonate with "trying to be good" and thought it'd touch more on that idea, but ended up just being a quote from her mother.
The rest was about how a somewhat shallow and entitled feminist got reality-checked by giving birth and watching her mother die. Brought her out of her selfish, hedonistic lifestyle and into one of presence and meaning that no spiritual or self-help text could have. It was well written and the audio version had some nice touches with music and appropriate background sounds here and there. An interesting look into her life, but not my type.
The rest was about how a somewhat shallow and entitled feminist got reality-checked by giving birth and watching her mother die. Brought her out of her selfish, hedonistic lifestyle and into one of presence and meaning that no spiritual or self-help text could have. It was well written and the audio version had some nice touches with music and appropriate background sounds here and there. An interesting look into her life, but not my type.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews