08/17/2025
The impact of a book is as much about the reader as it is the quality and depth of the book itself. Visiting (or revisiting) a book at the right time can give it permission to be the catalyst, big or small, that leads to a future step being taken at a slightly different angle than its previous trajectory would have placed it.
This book, Anxiety by Samir Chopra is a great example. For the past 9 years I felt my anxiety was something to resolve. A tear in the fabric of who I’m supposed to be. So, I tried many patches in attempts to cover it up. Lately… I’ve felt the need to accept it rather than constantly stress and fight against it; and this book highlights that anxiety can actually be a feature, not a flaw, of our authentic expression. Something to walk hand-in-hand with through our life journey. If you’re anxious about your anxiety and have a little experience reading philosophy, I definitely recommend this book. It’s pretty short and not full of too much philosophical jargon (but some experience with Existentialist philosophy in particular will be helpful).
I will note that I have some questions for the editor of this book… some pretty obvious grammar and editing issues in the print and the use of semicolons is… interesting… I’d be curious what someone with an English degree thinks. But the content of the book is nonetheless excellent.
