We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it's ever been—we are freer, healthier, and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow, everything seems to be irreparably and horribly Pcked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education, and communication our ancestors couldn't even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.

If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it's Mark Manson. Drawing from psychological research as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble each other. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment, and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even that of hope itself.

With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-Pck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world. Like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, he leads us on another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our souls to a new definition of hopefulness.