Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us WholeBittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
What it's about
Susan Cain, author of Quiet, argues that sadness, longing and a sense of life's impermanence aren't problems to be fixed. They are a source of creativity, connection and meaning, from music and art to love and spirituality. She explores how a 'bittersweet' outlook can help us live with grief and loss, and criticizes cultures of forced positivity.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a gentle, thoughtful book.
You'll love it if you liked
All About Love: New Visions
The Denial of Death
A Grief ObservedGood to know
It mixes research with personal stories, including Cain's mother's dementia.
By the numbers
- Readers26 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller48 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #111 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #254 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #386 of the 481 new books we rank
- #2256 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking, Moving
More by Susan Cain
If you like this, read next
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
When Breath Becomes Air
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Braiding Sweetgrass
Source Code: My Beginnings
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of DepressionExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #2,256 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 61.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole about?
Susan Cain, author of Quiet, argues that sadness, longing and a sense of life's impermanence aren't problems to be fixed. They are a source of creativity, connection and meaning, from music and art to love and spirituality. She explores how a 'bittersweet' outlook can help us live with grief and loss, and criticizes cultures of forced positivity.
How long does it take to read Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole?
About 7 hours (296 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole?
If you liked it, try All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks, The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker or A Grief Observed by CS Lewis.