#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - OPRAH'S
BOOK CLUB PICK - The author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet explores
the power of the bittersweet personality, revealing a misunderstood side of
mental health and creativity while offering a roadmap to facing heartbreak in
order to live life to the fullest.
"Bittersweet has the power to transform
the way you see your life and the world."--OPRAH
"Grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go."--BRENÉ BROWN, author
of Atlas of the Heart
"Susan Cain has described and validated my existence once
again!"--GLENNON DOYLE, author of Untamed
"The perfect cure for toxic positivity."--ADAM GRANT, author
of Think Again
LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF
THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, Mashable
Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing,
poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously
piercing joy at the beauty of the world. It recognizes that light and dark,
birth and death--bitter and sweet--are forever paired.
If you've ever wondered why you like sad music . . .
If you find comfort or inspiration in a rainy day . . .
If you react intensely to music, art, nature, and beauty . . .
Then you probably identify with the bittersweet state of
mind.
With Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to
cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby
revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now she employs the same
mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow
and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the
true path to creativity, connection, and transcendence.
Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet
force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain, whether from a
death or breakup, addiction or illness. If we don't acknowledge our own
heartache, she says, we can end up inflicting it on others via abuse,
domination, or neglect. But if we realize that all humans know--or will
know--loss and suffering, we can turn toward one another.
At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety, Bittersweet brings
us together in deep and unexpected ways.
About the Author
Named one of the top ten influencers in the world by
LinkedIn, Susan Cain is a renowned speaker and author of the award-winning
books Quiet Power, Quiet Journal, and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World
That Can't Stop Talking. Translated into more than forty languages, Quiet
hasappeared on many best-of lists, spent more than seven years on the New York
Times bestseller list, and was named the #1 best book of the year by Fast
Company, which also named Cain one of its Most Creative People in Business. Her
TED Talk on the power of introverts has been viewed over forty million times.