The Society of Timid Souls: Or, How to be Brave - Couverture rigide

Morland, Polly

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1781251908 ISBN 13 : 9781781251904

Editeur : Profile Books Ltd, 2013

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

'A fascinating study ... compelling ... an appealing and original account of one of the greatest human virtues, full of powerful stories. It leaves you hopeful' Sunday Times

'Morland approaches her subject with energy, tenacious curiosity and, however much she may protest that she is lily-livered, courage ... She skips lightly where angels fear to tread. Her book has astonishing range ... she proves the liveliest company: sane, merry and undeceived ... a bracing, moving and uncommon book ... It sounds as though the time may have come to reconvene the Society of Timid Souls' Observer

'An eccentric, hugely likeable debut ... solid case studies backed up by insightful, sensitively conducted interviews' The Times

'Well worth reading. Morland ... wonders what courage is, without being absolutely determined to come up with a definition' Spectator

'Polly Morland's voice is warm yet very smart, and she's collected some cracking good stories' Lionel Shriver, author of We Need to Talk About Kevin

'Polly Morland has written a beautiful and extremely moving book about the quintessentially human trait of bravery. A widely recognized concept that almost no one really understands, bravery has long needed a serious exploration like The Society of Timid Souls. It is gorgeously written, deeply felt, and sharply researched. This is one of the few books I know that leaves me literally grateful to the writer for doing the work they do. I loved it.' Sebastian Junger, author of War

'Using her documentarian's eye, Polly Morland has written a moving and deeply personal book; an examination of courage brimming with humanity' Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire

'Humans from the Bronze Age onwards, when we first start to set down ideas about ourselves have long asked, 'What is it to be brave?' With originality, wit, and no little gumption, Polly Morland pursues this same question. Thanks to hundreds of sensitive, face-to-face interviews, her paean to timidity as well as to bravery is salutatory and moving. This work reminds us that bravery and courage can be a gift of others, and not something that we struggle for alone' Bettany Hughes, author of The Hemlock Cup

'A dazzling synthesis of reportage, moral philosophy and memoir, Polly Morland's anatomy of courage moves effortlessly from the bullring and the battlefield to the concert hall and the maternity ward. Searching, startling and richly humane, this is the kind of book that reads you as you read it. A great achievement' Matthew Sweet, author of Inventing the Victorians

'With The Society of Timid Souls, Polly Morland expertly weaves scores of riveting stories, fascinating interviews, and exotic experiences into a ceaselessly engaging investigation of our most elevated virtue. We witness ordinary humans taking extraordinary action on the battlefields, bullrings, big waves, and even lunch counters of this life, and at each turn, would-be timid souls summon resolve in the face of unbearable challenges. For journeying into her own self-doubt, for reminding us of our glorious potential, and for assembling a cast of courageous souls to inspire us to reach it, Polly Morland herself deserves a medal' --Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place

'What makes the book so interesting is that Morland is not remotely mawkish. Her tone is bracing while her book is part self-help guide, part moral philosophy ... even the most timid of us, she show, can be helped to overcome our fears. 4 Stars' --Mail on Sunday

'Unexpectedly moving and delightful treatise about different forms of courage' --Stylist

'Thought-provoking, insightful and fascinating' --Irish Times --Guardian

'We all have a private definition of courage, which (I've concluded) we take to be universal; but as Polly Morland shows, there are all kinds of courage, and no necessary agreement on what it means. It s one of those books which encourages a reader to think again: always a good thing, in my view' --Hilary Mantel

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In 1942, a pianist from Manhattan convened the inaugural meeting of an extraordinary new fraternity, which promised to inoculate stage fright sufferers against the terrors that afflicted them. The venture, which coincided with the terrifying height of World War Two, was an astonishing success. They called it The Society of Timid Souls.Seventy years later, as anxiety levels reaches pandemic proportions, courage has become a virtue in crisis. We are all Timid Souls now. So Polly Morland reconvenes the Society for a new era, and sets out on a fact-finding mission. From the woman who performed her own caesarean section, to the surfer who took on a murderous sea, by way of freedom fighters, public speakers and emergency services workers, she seeks the truth about what courage today really means and how it comes about.From frontline to skyscraper, from mountain peak to suburban street, the journey takes in philosophy, literature, propaganda and popular culture, as Morland weaves together a modern anatomy of an age-old virtue, in order to discover how a Timid Soul may become a brave one.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Profile Books Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1781251908
• ISBN 13: 9781781251904
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 320