{"product_id":"selfie-9781468316957","title":"Selfie","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eProvocative, humane, and deeply readable, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelfie\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is both a sweeping intellectual history and an urgent diagnosis of modern life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book, which NPR's \u003ci\u003eOn Point \u003c\/i\u003esays is a \"terrific tour through the history of self-obsession,\" offers readers a powerful new way to understand who we are, why we feel the way we do--and how we might loosen the grip of an ideal that was never designed to make us whole.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe live in an age of relentless self-scrutiny. From social media feeds to self-help mantras, we are told that success, happiness, and even moral worth begin and end with the individual self. In \u003ci\u003eSelfie\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning journalist Will Storr asks a disturbing question: where did this idea of the \"perfect self\" come from--and what is it doing to us?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on psychology, neuroscience, history, economics, and cultural analysis, Storr traces the evolution of the Western self from Ancient Greece through Christianity, the Enlightenment, and the rise of modern consumer culture. Along the way, he reveals how centuries-old beliefs about identity and virtue have fused with contemporary technology to create a culture of perfectionism, personal branding, and chronic comparison.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStorr shows how today's obsession with self-esteem and individual achievement has left many people anxious, isolated, and unhappy. Rather than making us freer or more fulfilled, the modern cult of the self often deepens feelings of inadequacy and fuels rising levels of depression, narcissism, and social fragmentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStorr, Will:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eWill Storr\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning journalist and novelist whose work has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. His books include \u003ci\u003eSelfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science\u003c\/i\u003e (Overlook\/Abrams Press). His writing courses are among the most in-demand offerings of the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e Masterclasses and the Faber Academy. He lives in Kent, England.","brand":"Abrams Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52103653916946,"sku":"9781468316957","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c2658c0a-822e-4d0f-9376-22293367f3e5.jpg?v=1773151674","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/selfie-9781468316957","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}