Raising hell, living well : freedom from influence in a world where everyone wants something from you / Jessica Elefante.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Ballantine Group, [2023]Edition: First editionDescription: xxiv, 348 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780593500552
- 0593500555
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
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Main Library | NonFiction | New | 158.1 E38 | Available | 33111011211402 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Part cultural criticism, part rueful confessional, a reformed brand strategist brings to light the impact of influence on us and our society and offers an escape in this ironically persuasive case for not being so easily influenced anymore.
"A weirdly practical approach to some ancient questions that have become trickier lately."-Jaron Lanier, bestselling author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
We live in a world that is under the influence.
Our lives are being choreographed by forces that want something from us. Everything from ingrained family values to mind-altering algorithms create our foundations, warp how we see the world, manipulate our decisions, and dictate our beliefs. Yet rarely do we question these everyday influences of our modern times even as we go further down the path of unwell, unhappy, and unhinged .
A high-spirited exploration through the troublesome influences of our world, Raising Hell, Living Well , Jessica Elefante's eye-opening debut, follows one bullshit artist's journey, from small-time salesperson to award-winning corporate strategist to founder of the digital wellbeing movement Folk Rebellion, in coming to terms with how she was wielding influence-and the forces she was under herself.
With whip-smart writing and wry humor, Elefante's collection of essays is a head-trip through her misadventures. From explaining productivity as a symptom of the influence of capitalism to how the wellness industry makes us feel more unwell or our unquestioning participation in oversharing, optimization, and instant gratification, she invites us to reexamine our world, our pasts, and ourselves through the lens of influence. Now a reformed brand strategist, Elefante lays bare her own culpability, sharing what she learned-and what she got wrong. She offers a new take on intentional living and provides a simple practice to deconstruct how the powers-that-be are attempting to modify our behaviors. Before you know it, you'll be questioning everything from how you take your coffee to how our social institutions are structured. And you'll learn how to live free from the influences around us-including Elefante herself.
The much-needed subversive voice to demystify these times, Elefante will make you angry, make you laugh, and make you think about how you're really living. Unpretentious, sharply observed, and devil-hearted, Raising Hell, Living Well holds out a hand to help you climb out from under the influence.
Includes bibliographical references.
Apology letter -- A scatterbrain's note on being precise -- Introduction -- Under the influence. Tracks ; Picket fences ; Customs ; Bitter end -- How "they" win friends & influence people. What's your favorite color? ; Make believe ; Heads bowed, eyes closed ; Megaphones & marshmallows ; Weirdos -- The bad influence. Pony up ; Good on paper ; Something borrowed ; Rosy future ; Unplugged & loved -- Not so easily influenced. Hanging up ; Modern bullshit ; 80's mom ; Vulnerability clickbait -- Influential. Wake up ; Pick a fight ; Band together ; Make trouble -- Above the influence. The "plant your flag" practice ; The "peel the onion" technique ; The "middle fish" assessment ; The "snowman" effect -- Epilogue.
"An unabashed guide and rueful confessional that lays bare the troublesome impact of influence in our culture and offers the freedom of living intentionally without it. Jessica Elefante Davis is a master manipulator. Or, she used to be. Her hope was to live outside the confines of traditional expectations. Rather than falling prey to the everyday influences pulling the strings, she attempted to become free from them by pulling the strings herself. Throughout her journey from bad influence to award-winning corporate strategist she collected nuggets of knowledge that all seemed to come down to one thing: influence-using it and abusing it. She soon began to wonder: was she the one avoiding it-or was she wielding it? Elefante Davis, now a reformed brand strategist, leads us through her own misadventures to open the door to a freer way of living. She shines a light on the forces attempting to persuade our every choice: what we buy, how we behave, and which values we embrace. In a noisy world overwhelmed by in-your-face everything, understanding-first How-Come, then How-To-is the key to hearing our own voice. With her groundbreaking take on intentional living, you'll learn a simple practice to uncomplicate how the powers-that-be attempt to modify our behaviors: Spot the Folklore: the myths preached so widely that we accept these influences as fact End the cycle of Folktales: the stories we tell ourselves to try to fit within the accepted standards Embrace the Folk Rebellion: a moment to pause and assess the influences so we can make choices that are true to ourselves After a life-saving, game-changing kick in the guts, Elefante Davis came to terms with the boxes she got stuck in and, regrettably, created for others. Unpretentious, ingenious, and devil-hearted, Raising Hell, Living Well holds out a hand to help you climb out from under the influence too"-- Provided by publisher.