How to be a Failure and Still Live Well

Reviews / Votes

Nothing succeeds like success? Perhaps not. How to be a Failure and Still Live Well is a powerful rejection of the language of 'success' that dominates contemporary neo-liberal culture. Blending philosophy and personal experience Beverley Clack gives a moving defense of the necessity of loss and failure in building relationships, identity and a meaningful life. This splendid book gives us a picture of the kind of fuller existence we can aspire to as individuals who choose our own response to tragedy and as members of a community that does not rely on false optimism or selfish calculation to bind itself together. * Joshua Foa Dienstag, Professor of Political Science & Law, University of California, Los Angeles, USA * Thought-provoking and compelling, Bev Clack takes us into the heart of failure and loss, with personal depth and engaging philosophical and theological insights. Clack raises profoundly important questions and offers no easy answers - but helps the reader to engage more deeply with life, aided by failure and loss. * Alistair Ross, Associate Professor of Psychotherapy, Oxford University, UK * With characteristic wisdom, insight, humanity and wit, Clack shows us how dwelling with our failures can make genuine flourishing possible. This is philosophy at its best - philosophy that contributes to the shared human endeavour of living a good life, engaging deftly with psychology, politics, theology, feminist theory, literature and art. * Anastasia Scrutton, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Religion, University of Leeds, UK * The threat of failure is ever-present, but hardly ever openly examined. This thoughtful, honest and often moving book examines why so many of us are haunted by failure. Its erudite and detailed diagnosis of the reasons for widespread feelings of failure across modern societies makes for both fascinating and inspiring reading. * Anneliese Dodds, MP, House of Commons, UK * With characteristic wisdom, insight, humanity and wit, Clack shows us how dwelling with our failures can make genuine flourishing possible. This is philosophy at its best - philosophy that contributes to the shared human endeavour of living a good life, engaging deftly with psychology, politics, theology, feminist theory, literature and art. * Dr Anastasia Scrutton, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Religion, University of Leeds, UK *