Ava Moralejo 340

 When scrolling through the second book options, I really wanted to choose a novel that resonated with me. As I scrolled through the “Best Books and Essential Reads from Yes! Magazine”, specifically the novels from the subheader “The Science of Creating a Compassionate World”, Ruth Whippman’s title immediately jumped out to me. Worry, anxiety, and nervousness are some things I find can overwhelmingly fill my days as it does for many college students. The notion of happiness has always intrigued me as it is something nearly impossible to measure– and Whippman somehow finds a way to verbalize this perplexing concept. I was excited to explore this “new normal” of stress Whippman describes as embedded in American culture and our attempt to constantly pursue happiness that leads to our anxiety.  Many have critiqued Whipmann’s story as she is a Britian-born writer and is expressing her commentary on the American culture. In my opinion, as an outsider, I find she gained a perspective...

  For my second book assignment, I decided to choose America the Anxious: Why Our Search for Happiness Is Driving Us Crazy by Ruth Whippman. This critique is about the dark side of the pursuit of happiness. The author, Whippman, is a British-born (now) full-time writer and previously was a producer and director at the BBC in London making documentaries and current affair shows for BBC television. After relocating to Silicon Valley with her techie husband, Whippman was inspired to write this novel on the motives behind the pursuit of happiness--specifically in America. From what I have read, Whippman combines her British banter and hilarious narrative to mesh together her personal observations on the tedious anti-American perspective and anxious happiness seekers.  I selected this novel for my second reading assignment because I could relate to her perspective on society and was hoping it would inspire me. Personally, I admittedly find myself in constant pursuit of happiness. N...