Publishers Weekly
10/19/2020
Anxiety and disconnection are natural consequences of overconsumptive modern life, argues Australian journalist Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful) in this vibrant take on how to build a more joyful existence and sustainable world. After describing the crises of unfettered capitalism, Covid-19, and climate change, Wilson assures readers that happiness and peace are still possible even though “human-made clusterfucks of the Anthropocene are now fundamentally too big to wrap our heads around, control or fix.” To that end, she ponders axioms to live by, particularly Erich Fromm’s call to “live life as a study of love and work.” She outlines techniques to find spiritual connection and purpose, including small suggestions (avoid mindless scrolling on a phone, for instance) and more involved practices to incorporate into one’s life (such as exploring nature, which she illustrates through many anecdotes of her own hiking trips). The author ranges widely, interspersing personal stories with interviews, scientific research, and quotes from religious texts, making for a reading experience that has the feel of an impassioned conversation with a friend: “To be clear, I am not optimistic. Unlike pessimism and optimism, hope necessitates action.” Wilson’s engaging prose and timely advice will appeal to those who enjoyed Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
Sarah Wilson is a force of nature – quite literally. She has taken her pain and grief about our sick and troubled world and alchemized it into action, advocacy, adventure, poetry, and true love. She’s a great teacher and a great leader, and I admire her with all my soul.” — Elizabeth Gilbert
“I’ve encountered no other book that articulates with so much passion or clarity the unique feeling of this moment in history–a time of anxiety, and often despair, but that nonetheless pulsates with the possibility of a radically different, uplifting and awe-filled future. This One Wild and Precious Life is the ideal guidebook for our long overdue journey back to nature, to each other, and to sanity in the deepest sense of the word.” — Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
"This practical actionable, spiritual guidebook proposes a path to joy even amid pandemics, climate change, social injustice, and other profound crises." — USA Today
"Wilson explores why it's worth it to take the risk and move past the comfortable, assuring her readers that doing this is how we find meaning—and hope." — Spirituality and Health magazine
“Anxiety and disconnection are natural consequences of overconsumptive modern life, argues Australian journalist Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful) in this vibrant take on how to build a more joyful existence and sustainable world. […] The author ranges widely, interspersing personal stories with interviews, scientific research, and quotes from religious texts, making for a reading experience that has the feel of an impassioned conversation with a friend […] engaging prose and timely advice.” — Publishers Weekly
“Her thought-provoking call to action shines light on the personal fog and spiritual trauma experienced while living with consumerism, climate change, COVID-19, social injustice, and collective anxiety. […] this book is inspiring.” — Booklist
“This may be one of the first books that culminates in the events of 2020 and offers a solution for moving forward….[ Wilson’s] stories are fascinating and her message is universal and hopeful. Readers with wanderlust will be inspired by her journey and calls to action.” — Library Journal
“Sarah Wilson is a traveler of worlds, outer and inner. And her reports from the journey are both intensely personal and germane to a sick and distracted world. In the midst of the collective malaise, she zeros in on her determination to live her life, not someone else’s, and on the work to which we are all summoned if this species is to survive. Her work is, as the world is, both wild and precious.” — James Hollis, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times
“The inchoate sense that something is missing— something related to connection and community and meaning— nags at many of us. This book has some smart suggestions for how to move out of that purgatory, and perhaps, in the process, help build a world that works." — Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?
“The timing of this book couldn’t be more critical. Sarah takes us on a series of wild hikes around the world and shows us how inherently connected to nature we truly are, while also shedding light on how desperately we need to find a new path in our changing world. Wild and Precious speaks to my soul.” — Emilie Ristevski, wilderness photographer @helloemilie
Elizabeth Gilbert
Sarah Wilson is a force of nature – quite literally. She has taken her pain and grief about our sick and troubled world and alchemized it into action, advocacy, adventure, poetry, and true love. She’s a great teacher and a great leader, and I admire her with all my soul.
Booklist
Her thought-provoking call to action shines light on the personal fog and spiritual trauma experienced while living with consumerism, climate change, COVID-19, social injustice, and collective anxiety. […] this book is inspiring.”
Spirituality and Health magazine
"Wilson explores why it's worth it to take the risk and move past the comfortable, assuring her readers that doing this is how we find meaning—and hope."
Emilie Ristevski
The timing of this book couldn’t be more critical. Sarah takes us on a series of wild hikes around the world and shows us how inherently connected to nature we truly are, while also shedding light on how desperately we need to find a new path in our changing world. Wild and Precious speaks to my soul.”
James Hollis
Sarah Wilson is a traveler of worlds, outer and inner. And her reports from the journey are both intensely personal and germane to a sick and distracted world. In the midst of the collective malaise, she zeros in on her determination to live her life, not someone else’s, and on the work to which we are all summoned if this species is to survive. Her work is, as the world is, both wild and precious.
Bill McKibben
The inchoate sense that something is missing— something related to connection and community and meaning— nags at many of us. This book has some smart suggestions for how to move out of that purgatory, and perhaps, in the process, help build a world that works."
USA Today
"This practical actionable, spiritual guidebook proposes a path to joy even amid pandemics, climate change, social injustice, and other profound crises."
USA Today
"This practical actionable, spiritual guidebook proposes a path to joy even amid pandemics, climate change, social injustice, and other profound crises."
Booklist
Her thought-provoking call to action shines light on the personal fog and spiritual trauma experienced while living with consumerism, climate change, COVID-19, social injustice, and collective anxiety. […] this book is inspiring.”
Library Journal
11/20/2020
Australian author Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful), best known for creating the "I Quit Sugar" movement, examines loneliness and isolation in our divided, technology-obsessed world. She takes readers on a multiyear "soul's journey" with contemplative stops at her favorite hiking and vacation spots, like an Eat, Pray, Love for COVID-rattled people. Topics covered include dating, technology, capitalism, and politics. She explores the need now more than ever for connection between humans and offers suggestions and exercises to help reconnect with others and ourselves. VERDICT This may be one of the first books that culminates in the events of 2020 and offers a solution for moving forward. Although Wilson comes across as a bit rambling and even privileged at times, her stories are fascinating and her message is universal and hopeful. Readers with wanderlust will be inspired by her journey and calls to action.—Jennifer Clifton, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis
