I might have rated this book four stars if I had read it, but I listened to it over a series of walks through bear country (easier than singing or talking to myself the whole time). The subject interested me very much, and I thank Ms. Norris for her thorough examination and explanation of the subject. Explaining it from her personal experience was invaluable. The only thing I would knock is that it seemed to ramble and repeat; this might have been an impression I got from listening rather than reading... Norris covers a lot of interesting ideas in this book, but it suffers from a lack of structure/direction. Despite stating her main goal as wanting to differentiate between acedia and depression, she uses the words almost interchangeably which makes differentiation difficult. There's also the thorny issue of how we deal with acedia/depression once we've defined it - is it a sin, to be battled within ourselves? Or an illness, that requires external assistance and/or medication?There are quite a few references to Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon,which I found to be a better resource on depression. Whereas Norris' book is more a musing on life as it intersects with depression-like acedia.
What do You think about Acedia And Me (2008)?
supposed to be a similar experience to writing ones dissertation
—itsangduhh
Very useful; it seems like I need to read this one annually.
—yael
Very informative and useful. I love the way she writes!
—charliesangelsvdp
Many great insights, but dry, in parts.
—mariumawesome1
