How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division by Elif Shafak

Review by: Andra-Ioana Curutiu

The short

The book explores how human dialogue and listening to each other can nurture democracy, empathy, and our faith in a better future.

The long
War, injustice, nuclear weapons, COVID-19, or climate change, no matter where you look, the world around us seems to be falling apart. So, it should not be surprising that Booker Prize-nominated Elif Shafak describes our society as ‘the age of contagious anxiety. 

But her book ‘How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division: The powerful, pocket-sized manifesto’, is nothing like this. Released in 2020, the book represents a ‘powerful, uplifting plea for conscious optimism’, where Turkish-British Elif Shafak aims to BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER by telling stories that reveal how listening to each other can nurture democracy, empathy, and our faith in a kinder and wiser future. Much of the author’s work is focused on the division between modern politics and cultural debate, and the apparent refusal of all sides to listen to each other. 

To read or not to read?

If you are looking for advice on ‘How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division?’, this is a must-read. At times, the author uses humor and satire, by making reference to the social media age. Two of her most memorable characters are ‘Facebook’, a little Egyptian, and ‘Like’, a baby born in Israel. The book is available on Amazon (paperback, e-book, and audio-book).