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Selfie
- How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us
- Narrated by: Jack Hawkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
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Summary
We live in the age of the individual.
We are supposed to be slim, prosperous, happy, extroverted and popular. This is our culture's image of the perfect self. We see this person everywhere: in advertising, in the press, all over social media. We're told that to be this person, you just have to follow your dreams, that our potential is limitless, that we are the source of our own success.
But this model of the perfect self can be extremely dangerous. People are suffering under the torture of this impossible fantasy. Unprecedented social pressure is leading to increases in depression and suicide. Where does this ideal come from? Why is it so powerful? Is there any way to break its spell?
To answer these questions, Selfie takes us from the shores of Ancient Greece, through the Christian Middle Ages, to the self-esteem evangelists of 1980s California, the rise of narcissism and the selfie generation, and right up to the era of hyperindividualistic neoliberalism in which we live now.
It tells the extraordinary story of the person we all know so intimately - our self.
Exclusive to the audiobook, Selfie includes a unique 15-minute interview with the author, Will Storr, and reader, Jack Hawkins.
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- Mr SA Lambe
- 17-08-17
Brilliant
This is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to - and I've listened to a lot! A fantastic combination of sociology, psychology and history - with a bit of politics and economics thrown in. This is the first time I've listened to a book and found it resonating with me, personally ("but that's ME") in places.
A few bonuses - his concise dissections of the financial crisis and the Brexit / Trump phenomenons are pithy and eminently quotable. Also Jack Hawkins reading - and his novel interview with Storr right at the end - are both fabulous.
Oh, and my score was 7 out of 40. Listen to the book, and you'll know what I mean.
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20 people found this helpful
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- maveric78
- 28-12-18
Great book... horrible title
I was unsure where this was going but it came together beautifully it the last few chapters. The narrator also seems the perfect match for the material.
Only negative is that the title makes it sound unsubstantial or light weight which is absolutely not the case.
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13 people found this helpful
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- JohnLuke
- 07-08-17
A book for for our Time
Thought provoking, revealing and enjoyable. We are not who we think we are, we are not even what others think we are - We are what we think others think we are - This and the destruction of the scientific base for the Rogerian philosophy of Total Positive Regard are significant revelations. Well argued, compelling story telling at its best and isn't that what we have relied upon to form our opinions through the ages. Absolutely worth the read.
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12 people found this helpful
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- R. Yarwood
- 29-05-18
Great content but wish I'd read it instead
Fascinating content, but I wish I had just read this one as throughout the audiobook the narrator puts on accents for contributors which range from comical to mildly offensive and really took me out of the story. Muddled through as it was so interesting but the dodgy accents were mildly infuriating.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Dan Hall
- 11-12-17
Abandon hope all ye who download here
I have no idea why, but at some point in the production of this audiobook, an executive decision was made to have the narrator dramatically ‘perform’ the voices in the text. So even though this is a non-fiction book on a serious subject, you get a caricature feminine Deep South accent reading the real account of an attempted suicide, or a tentative Scottish lilt when a Glaswegian researcher recounts their academic findings. It makes the whole thing jarringly comic in the context of the subject, and unlistenable if you just wanted to hear some interesting non-fiction read like every other non-fiction audiobook you’ve ever listened to. This is the only audiobook I’ve ever abandoned on the grounds of the way it’s read.
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9 people found this helpful
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- J. Drew
- 01-09-17
Wonderful book about the self and all those other selfs
I once had the privilege of seeing the author reading and talk about his previous book 'the heretics' in a Birmingham pub about people who have different and unusual belief systems that favour those more of conspiracy theory than reality. His new book looks more at the self and the self in society. I found it a wonderful book. Looking at a range of selfs (e.g. the dying self, the perfectible self, the good / bad / digital self) telling stories that tell us about ourself and the society we live in. The section on self belief and the story of John Vasconcellos and Storr's trip to a movement where we behave as something else are both diverting and bonkers and we live is strange times (just as we always have). Storr has a wonderful way of writing that can cover both factual information and stories that help highlight and picture the many nuggets of information of which highlight who and what we are. Highly recommended. I loved it and learnt a lot.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Lisa Obermaier
- 26-03-19
Fascinating account - perhaps too long
The book overall is really fascinating. I learned so much new about or Western Self. The only downer are some veeery long passages, in particular about Eselan, that should have been shortened. I don‘t need to know entire histories in order to get the gist.
Also a few times too biased. To discredit safe spaces at universities by using the most ridiculous examples is very deceptive.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 19-07-17
A calming exciting truth.
A refreshing eye-opener with some calming truths. Refreshing to hear solidly researched material in our world of spin and nonsense. l loved it. Thank you.
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6 people found this helpful
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- SV
- 05-08-19
excellent
Exceptional performance of a beautifully written and thought-provoking book. Was a pleasure to listen to and would definitely recommend.
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4 people found this helpful
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- mattthomas
- 12-03-19
Thought Provoking and Profound
Thank you Will Storr for writing this book. There is a lot to think about here for all of us living in the modern age. Will change how you see yourself and others, in positive and honest way
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4 people found this helpful