Reasons To Stay Alive

Description

One of Entertainment Weekly's 25 most anticipated books of 2016 Matt Haig s accessible and life-affirming memoir of his struggle with depression, and how his triumph over the illness taught him to live Like nearly one in five people, Matt Haig suffers from depression. Reasons to Stay Alive is Matt s inspiring account of how, minute by minute and day by day, he overcame the disease with the help of reading, writing, and the love of his parents and his girlfriend (and now-wife), Andrea. And eventually, he learned to appreciate life all the more for it. Everyone s lives are touched by mental illness: if we do not suffer from it ourselves, then we have a friend or loved one who does. Matt s frankness about his experiences is both inspiring to those who feel daunted by depression and illuminating to those who are mystified by it. Above all, his humor and encouragement never let us lose sight of hope. Speaking as his present self to his former self in the depths of depression, Matt is adamant that the oldest cliche is the truest there is light at the end of the tunnel. He teaches us to celebrate the small joys and moments of peace that life brings, and reminds us that there are always reasons to stay alive."

Reviews

Named one ofEntertainment Weekly's Must-Read Books of 2016 Finalist for theWaterstone's Book of the Year"Destined to become a modern classic." - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "An in-depth exploration of Haig s battle with depression, if you need a pick-me-up on a very fundamental level, you could do a lot worse than this book." - PEOPLE "I dog-eared 45 pages in Haig's compact book where he wrote profound or poignant things. I could have easily marked more of them." - Jim Higgings, THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL "Wonderful and essential" - Christopher Weir, THE HUFFINGTON POST "a quick, witty and at times profound take on an illness many people suffer from, but sometimes can t bring themselves to talk about." - THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE "Things just got real. His honest and surprisingly funny first person account is a reminder that no matter how hopeless life may seem, it really never is." - NY METRO A scintillating read. - THE DAILY MAIL "REASONS TO STAY ALIVE is essential reading for anyone who has dealt with depression and for anyone who loves someone with the disease." - BOOK REPORTER "Fascinating and beautifully written." - IAN RANKIN "Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light." - MICHAEL PALIN "Matt Haig is astounding." - STEPHEN FRY "Maybe the most important book I've read this year" -SIMON MAYO "A life-saving book" -AMANDA CRAIG "Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin" -JEANETTE WINTERSON "Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light" -MICHAEL PALIN "Thoughtful, honest and incredibly insightful" -JENNY COLGAN "Brilliant and salutary . . . should be on prescription" -REV. RICHARD COLES "A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder." KIRKUS REVIEW "Warm and engaging, and shot through with humour...a valuable contribution to the conversation." - THE SUNDAY TIMES"

Author description

Matt Haig is the internationally bestselling writer of five novels, including The Humans and The Radleys. He has also written award-winning children s books. His work has been translated into thirty languages. Reasons to Stay Alive, a bestseller in the UK since its publication, is his first work of nonfiction."