{"product_id":"promise-land-my-journey-through-americas-self-help-culture-9781439100219","title":"Promise Land: My Journey Through America's Self-Help Culture","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Jessica Lamb-Shapiro\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Popular Culture\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A funny yet surprisingly nuanced look at the legends and ideas of the self-help industry\" (\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e, 3.5 stars), \u003ci\u003ePromise Land\u003c\/i\u003e explores the American devotion to self-improvement--even as the author attempts some deeply personal improvements of her own.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRaised by a child psychologist who was himself the author of numerous self-help books, as an adult Jessica Lamb-Shapiro found herself both repelled and fascinated by the industry: did all of these books, tapes, weekend seminars, groups, posters, t-shirts, and trinkets really help anybody? Why do some people swear by the power of positive thinking, while others dismiss it as so many empty promises? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003ePromise Land\u003c\/i\u003e is an irreverent tour through the vast and strange reaches of the world of self-help. In the name of research, Jessica attempted to cure herself of phobias, followed The Rules to meet and date men, walked on hot coals, and even attended a self-help seminar for writers of self-help books. But the more she delved into the history and practice of self-help, the more she realized her interest was much more than academic. Forced into a confrontation with the silent grief that had haunted both her and her father since her mother's death when she was a baby, she realized that sometimes thinking you know everything about a subject is a way of hiding from yourself the fact that you know nothing at all. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A jaunty, cannily written memoir\" (\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003ci\u003e, Promise Land\u003c\/i\u003e is cultural history from \"a witty and enjoyably self-aware writer...Jessica Lamb-Shapiro's talent as a storyteller is undeniable\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e).","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45132218630295,"sku":"9781439100219","price":1193.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781439100219.webp?v=1767145962","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/promise-land-my-journey-through-americas-self-help-culture-9781439100219","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}