This One Wild and Precious Life - by Sarah Wilson (Hardcover)

About the Book

Originally published in Australia by Pan Macmillan Australia, 2020.

Book Synopsis

As seen in USA Today's hottest releases and The Washington Post's 10 New Books Spotlight

"Sarah Wilson is a force of nature - quite literally. She has taken her pain and grief about our sick and troubled world and alchemized it into action, advocacy, adventure, poetry, and true love." -- ELIZABETH GILBERT

Wake up and reclaim your one wild and precious life. New York Times bestselling author Sarah Wilson shows you how in this radical spiritual guidebook, the book we need NOW.

Many of us are living with the sense that things are not right with the world and are in a state of spiritual PTSD. We have retreated, morally and psychologically; we are experiencing a crisis of disconnection--from one another, from our true values, from joy, and from life as we feel we are meant to be living it. Sarah Wilson argues that this sense of despair and disconnection is ironically what unites us--that deep down, we are all feeling that same itch for a new way of living. Drawing on science, literature, philosophy and the wisdom of some of the world's leading experts, and her personal journey, Wilson offers a hopeful path forward to the life we love. En route, she shows us how to wake up and reconnect with life using "wild practices" that include:

- Hike. Embrace the "walking cure" as great minds throughout history have.

- Go to your edge. Do what scares you and embrace discomfort daily.

- #Buylesslivemore. Break the cycle of mindless consumption and get light with your life.

- Become a soul nerd. Light up your intellect with the arts.

- Get "full-fat spiritual". Have an active practice and use it to change the world.

- Practice wild activism. Through sustained, non-violent protest we can create our better world.

The time has come to boldly, wildly imagine better. We are being called upon, individually and as a society, to forge a new path and to find a new way of living. Will you join the journey?

Review Quotes

This practical actionable, spiritual guidebook proposes a path to joy even amid pandemics, climate change, social injustice, and other profound crises.--USA Today

Wilson explores why it's worth it to take the risk and move past the comfortable, assuring her readers that doing this is how we find meaning--and hope.--Spirituality and Health magazine

"Sarah Wilson is a traveler of worlds, outer and inner. And her reports from the journey are both intensely personal and germane to a sick and distracted world. In the midst of the collective malaise, she zeros in on her determination to live her life, not someone else's, and on the work to which we are all summoned if this species is to survive. Her work is, as the world is, both wild and precious."--James Hollis, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times

"This may be one of the first books that culminates in the events of 2020 and offers a solution for moving forward....[ Wilson's] stories are fascinating and her message is universal and hopeful. Readers with wanderlust will be inspired by her journey and calls to action."--Library Journal

"Her thought-provoking call to action shines light on the personal fog and spiritual trauma experienced while living with consumerism, climate change, COVID-19, social injustice, and collective anxiety. [...] this book is inspiring." --Booklist

"Anxiety and disconnection are natural consequences of overconsumptive modern life, argues Australian journalist Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful) in this vibrant take on how to build a more joyful existence and sustainable world. [...] The author ranges widely, interspersing personal stories with interviews, scientific research, and quotes from religious texts, making for a reading experience that has the feel of an impassioned conversation with a friend [...] engaging prose and timely advice."--Publishers Weekly

"Sarah Wilson is a force of nature - quite literally. She has taken her pain and grief about our sick and troubled world and alchemized it into action, advocacy, adventure, poetry, and true love. She's a great teacher and a great leader, and I admire her with all my soul."--Elizabeth Gilbert

"The inchoate sense that something is missing-- something related to connection and community and meaning-- nags at many of us. This book has some smart suggestions for how to move out of that purgatory, and perhaps, in the process, help build a world that works.--Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

"The timing of this book couldn't be more critical. Sarah takes us on a series of wild hikes around the world and shows us how inherently connected to nature we truly are, while also shedding light on how desperately we need to find a new path in our changing world. Wild and Precious speaks to my soul." --Emilie Ristevski, wilderness photographer @helloemilie