Part Holocaust memoir, part spiritual survival guide, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is a profound and personal exploration of the eternal resilience of the mind and its ability to transcend the harshest of conditions. Through the exploration of his psyche during and following life in the concentration camps, he reveals the capacity of the mind to find meaning and purpose regardless of life’s inherent sufferings.

This book is a raw, insightful, and deeply human exploration of addiction through the patients of Dr. Maté’s San Francisco clinic. It’s not just a fascinating guide for understanding addiction but represents a transformative understanding of its underlying mechanisms, which he argues are universal, and always rooted in pain.

Lisa Barrett’s second book adopts a much more accessible approach to writing, distilling a number of the most important ideas and debates in current neuroscience and psychology. This book is packed with interesting information, anecdotes, and myth-busting, all supported by scientific evidence, and is a fantastic example of how popular science writing should be done.

Lisa Miller discusses her groundbreaking results from studies looking into the relationship between spirituality and mental illness. It was a good read, but I have a few criticisms. I do strongly support her notion of the ‘awakened brain’ and the ways it can help us all to be happier, more fulfilled, and more connected.

Why do we sleep for 1/3 of our lives? It seems counterintuitive. During this time we aren’t productive, we’re vulnerable to predators, we can’t sustain our needs. However, there are vital and interesting reasons why we, and all other animals, need sleep.

Why Do We Get Addicted To Things?

Why Don’t People with Addictions Just Stop?

How Can I Find Balance?

1. Can Mental Illness be Contagious?

2. Is Western Medical Science Too Obsessed with Clinical Diagnoses?

3. Can Illness Give Voice to the Voiceless