Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter I
2. Acknowledgments V
3. Contents VII
4. 1 Introduction: What Do We Expect? 1
5. I Happy Confessions: Context, Theory, Approach
6. Introduction 15
7. 2 Confessional Culture and American Self-Help 17
8. 3 Confessions and Science Communication 32
9. 4 Confessions and Reading: From Self-Writing to Life Writing 59
10. II Self-Improvement: Finding Success in a Digital Age
11. Introduction 81
12. 5 TED Talks on “How to Be a Better You” and Social Media Influencers 83
13. 6 Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story and the Privilege of “Merely Existing” 106
14. 7 Literature and Scanning: “A Burble of Warm White Spray” 130
15. III Mindfulness and Self-Vigilance in the Anthropocene
16. Introduction 143
17. 8 TED Talks on Mindfulness and the “Second Sight” 144
18. 9 Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy and the “Insight of Interbeing” 171
19. 10 Literature and Storytelling: “These Stories Are Real as Kitchens” 200
20. IV Self-Transcendence in the Age of Empathy
21. Introduction 213
22. 11 TED Talks on “What Makes You Happy?” and the Science of Happiness 214
23. 12 Richard Powers’ Generosity: An Enhancement and the “Small Shared Joy” of Reading 237
24. 13 Literature and Compositing: “The Secret Quickening in the Hands” 261
25. 14 Conclusion: A Kinship of Posthumanity 270
26. Bibliography 279
27. List of Figures 304
28. Index 305