Despair

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS ON DESPAIR

 

Don’t' despair. Here's a prescription of beautiful prose to help you look at life differently and know that even though life may be difficult right now, tough times always pass; and you will find your silver lining soon.

literary remedies on despair, best books on despair 

The Days of Abandonment (Fiction) by Elena Ferrante

 

"When you don't know how to keep a man you lose everything." Being left for another woman, this novel's central character, an Italian woman, comes to terms with the absence of her husband whilst caring for 2 little children. A national bestseller in Italy, the book details the devastating impact of losing her husband on her sense of identity, her life going forward and the emptiness with which she must carry on. Whilst a short read, Elena Ferrante takes the reader on a powerful journey, allowing him/her to truly connect and immerse themselves in the emotional experience of this Italian woman. 

Grab your copy here.

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by 

 twenty love poems, books on dealing with despair, literary remedies to manage despair

 

Grab your copy here.

 

Looking for something more specific? Get something more tailored with our personalised book prescriptions within 48 hours. You might also find it helpful to explore these feelings in a bibliotherapy session or learn some bibliotherapy techniques to help you process these feelings by completing our online Bibliotherapy, Literature and Mental Health course or our book Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading.

A big hello and thank you for reading! Passionate about literature, psychology, and life I launched Book Therapy as an alternative form of therapy using the power of literature. I train mental health professionals, librarians, teachers as well as readers on using bibliotherapy in their own work through our online Bibliotherapy, Literature and Mental Health course. We also curate reading lists/personalised book prescriptions for clients based on their individual needs. This is our signature personalised reading service.

You can also check out Book Therapy’s other free reading lists and A- Z of book prescriptions (covering both fiction and non-fiction). These suggest books based on your existing life situation (e.g. anxiety, job change, relationship heartache) as well as interests (e.g memoir, historical fiction, non-fiction, crime etc). There’s also a Children’s A — Z of Book Prescriptions. Feel free to check out the blog for more literary gems. There’s also a post on my personal story of how I entered the world of bibliotherapy and book curation.

In this role, I have had the opportunity to publish two books called Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading and The Happiness Mindset, and write various literary essays and pieces for newspapers and magazines. I have undertaken bibliotherapy workshops for The United Nations, various libraries in New York and corporate organisations in the UK and US. My book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, Marie Claire, NBC News, Asian Voice, New York Observer, Sydney Telegraph and various other publications. If you are a parent you might enjoy a podcast I’ve recorded with speech and language therapist Sunita Shah on Raising A Reader & Storyteller. And if you’d like to connect, email me at bijal@booktherapy.io or www.booktherapy.io.

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