Description
By: Clancy Martin
FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • ONE OF TIME'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE YEAR • An intimate, insightful, at times even humorous blend of memoir and philosophy that examines why the thought of death is so compulsive for some while demonstrating that there’s always another solution—from the acclaimed writer and philosophy professor, based on his viral essay, “I’m Still Here.”
“A deep meditation that searches through Martin’s past looking for answers about why he is the way he is, while also examining the role suicide has played in our culture for centuries, how it has evolved, and how philosophers have examined it.” —Esquire
“A rock for people who’ve been troubled by suicidal ideation, or have someone in their lives who is.” —The New York Times
“If you’re going to write a book about suicide, you have to be willing to say the true things, the scary things, the humiliating things. Because everybody who is being honest with themselves knows at least a little bit about the subject. If you lie or if you fudge, the reader will know.”
The last time Clancy Martin tried to kill himself was in his basement with a dog leash. It was one of over ten attempts throughout the course of his life. But he didn’t die, and like many who consider taking their own lives, he hid the attempt from his wife, family, coworkers, and students, slipping back into his daily life with a hoarse voice, a raw neck, and series of vague explanations.
In How Not to Kill Yourself, Martin chronicles his multiple suicide attempts in an intimate depiction of the mindset of someone obsessed with self-destruction. He argues that, for the vast majority of suicides, an attempt does not just come out of the blue, nor is it merely a violent reaction to a particular crisis or failure, but is the culmination of a host of long-standing issues. He also looks at the thinking of a number of great writers who have attempted suicide and detailed their experiences (such as David Foster Wallace, Yiyun Li, Akutagawa, Nelly Arcan, and others), at what the history of philosophy has to say both for and against suicide, and at the experiences of those who have reached out to him across the years to share their own struggles.
The result combines memoir with critical inquiry to powerfully give voice to what for many has long been incomprehensible, while showing those presently grappling with suicidal thoughts that they are not alone, and that the desire to kill oneself—like other self-destructive desires—is almost always temporary and avoidable.
FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • ONE OF TIME'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE YEAR • An intimate, insightful, at times even humorous blend of memoir and philosophy that examines why the thought of death is so compulsive for some while demonstrating that there’s always another solution—from the acclaimed writer and philosophy professor, based on his viral essay, “I’m Still Here.”
“A deep meditation that searches through Martin’s past looking for answers about why he is the way he is, while also examining the role suicide has played in our culture for centuries, how it has evolved, and how philosophers have examined it.” —Esquire
“A rock for people who’ve been troubled by suicidal ideation, or have someone in their lives who is.” —The New York Times
“If you’re going to write a book about suicide, you have to be willing to say the true things, the scary things, the humiliating things. Because everybody who is being honest with themselves knows at least a little bit about the subject. If you lie or if you fudge, the reader will know.”
The last time Clancy Martin tried to kill himself was in his basement with a dog leash. It was one of over ten attempts throughout the course of his life. But he didn’t die, and like many who consider taking their own lives, he hid the attempt from his wife, family, coworkers, and students, slipping back into his daily life with a hoarse voice, a raw neck, and series of vague explanations.
In How Not to Kill Yourself, Martin chronicles his multiple suicide attempts in an intimate depiction of the mindset of someone obsessed with self-destruction. He argues that, for the vast majority of suicides, an attempt does not just come out of the blue, nor is it merely a violent reaction to a particular crisis or failure, but is the culmination of a host of long-standing issues. He also looks at the thinking of a number of great writers who have attempted suicide and detailed their experiences (such as David Foster Wallace, Yiyun Li, Akutagawa, Nelly Arcan, and others), at what the history of philosophy has to say both for and against suicide, and at the experiences of those who have reached out to him across the years to share their own struggles.
The result combines memoir with critical inquiry to powerfully give voice to what for many has long been incomprehensible, while showing those presently grappling with suicidal thoughts that they are not alone, and that the desire to kill oneself—like other self-destructive desires—is almost always temporary and avoidable.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
![Kensuke's Kingdom - Egmont Modern Classics (Paperback) (Michael Morpurgo) Harpercollins (UK)](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/products/Kensuke_sKingdom-EgmontModernClassics_Paperback_{width}x.jpg?v=1633790093)
Kensuke's Kingdom - Egmont Modern Classics (Paperback) (Michael Morpurgo)
Sale priceHK$60.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock![Disney Pixar Inside Out 2 Ultimate Sticker Book](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Disney_Pixar_Inside_Out_2_Ultimate_Sticker_Book_{width}x.webp?v=1719485214)
Disney Pixar Inside Out 2 Ultimate Sticker Book
Sale priceFrom HK$44.00
Regular priceHK$65.00
In stock![Diary of a Roblox Pro #3: Obby Challenge (Ari Avatar)-Fiction: 歷險科幻 Adventure & Science Fiction-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/DiaryofaRobloxPro_3ObbyChallenge_{width}x.jpg?v=1699229226)
Diary of a Roblox Pro #3: Obby Challenge (Ari Avatar)
Sale priceFrom HK$43.00
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock![Diary of a Roblox Pro #1: Monster Escape (Ari Avatar)](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/products/DiaryofaRobloxPro_1_MonsterEscape_AriAvatar_{width}x.jpg?v=1677462026)
![Diary of a Roblox Pro #1: Monster Escape (Ari Avatar)](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/products/DiaryofaRobloxPro_1_MonsterEscape_AriAvatar_1_{width}x.jpg?v=1677462026)
Diary of a Roblox Pro #1: Monster Escape (Ari Avatar)
Sale priceHK$48.00
Regular priceHK$71.90
In stock![Diary of a Roblox Pro #2: Dragon Pet (Ari Avatar)-Fiction: 歷險科幻 Adventure & Science Fiction-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/products/DiaryofaRobloxPro_2DragonPet_AriAvatar_{width}x.jpg?v=1699221600)
Diary of a Roblox Pro #2: Dragon Pet (Ari Avatar)
Sale priceFrom HK$43.00
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock![Burt the Beetle #02 Burt the Beetle Lives Here! (Ashley Spires)](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/9781525310119_1_{width}x.jpg?v=1717229304)
![Burt the Beetle #02 Burt the Beetle Lives Here! (Ashley Spires)](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/9781525310119_2_{width}x.jpg?v=1717792217)
Burt the Beetle #02 Burt the Beetle Lives Here! (Ashley Spires)
Sale priceHK$101.00
Regular priceHK$150.00
In stock![Pearson Longman Level-up! English Test Papers (with Online diagnostic assessment^破解常犯錯誤)-Supplemental: 英文科 English-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/e1a_{width}x.webp?v=1712704159)
![Pearson Longman Level-up! English Test Papers (with Online diagnostic assessment^破解常犯錯誤)-Supplemental: 英文科 English-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/e1b_{width}x.webp?v=1712704165)
Pearson Longman Level-up! English Test Papers (with Online diagnostic assessment^破解常犯錯誤)
Sale priceHK$63.00
Regular priceHK$73.00
In stock![Percy Jackson and the Olympians #6 The Chalice of the Gods (Rick Riordan)-Fiction: 神話傳說 Myth and Legend-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/PercyJacksonandtheOlympians_6TheChaliceoftheGods_RickRiordan_{width}x.jpg?v=1714881796)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods (International paperback edition)
Sale priceHK$89.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock![Maisy's Chinese New Year (Paperback) (Lucy Cousins) Candlewick Press](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Maisy_sChineseNewYear_Paperback_LucyCousins_{width}x.webp?v=1713017350)
![Maisy's Chinese New Year (Paperback) (Lucy Cousins) Candlewick Press](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/Maisy_sChineseNewYear_Paperback_LucyCousins_2_{width}x.webp?v=1713017354)
Maisy's Chinese New Year (Paperback) (Lucy Cousins)
Sale priceHK$49.00
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock![Dork Diaries #09 Drama Queen (Rachel Renee Russell)-Fiction: 幽默搞笑 Humorous-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/DorkDiaries_09DramaQueen_1_{width}x.jpg?v=1699232298)
![Dork Diaries #09 Drama Queen (Rachel Renee Russell)-Fiction: 幽默搞笑 Humorous-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/DorkDiaries_09DramaQueen_2_{width}x.jpg?v=1699232300)
Dork Diaries #09 Drama Queen (Rachel Renee Russell)
Sale priceHK$67.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock![Dork Diaries #10 Puppy Love (Rachel Renee Russell)-Fiction: 幽默搞笑 Humorous-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/DorkDiaries_10PuppyLove_1_{width}x.jpg?v=1714880185)
![Dork Diaries #10 Puppy Love (Rachel Renee Russell)-Fiction: 幽默搞笑 Humorous-買書書 BuyBookBook](http://buybookbook.com/cdn/shop/files/DorkDiaries_10PuppyLove_2_{width}x.jpg?v=1699232426)
Dork Diaries #10 Puppy Love (Rachel Renee Russell)
Sale priceHK$67.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock