The Power of Fun

July 1, 2021

Of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage and a resident of both London and Brooklyn, PEN Ackerley Prize--winning poet Daley-Ward explains how we can become our own best and truest selves in The How. A principal dancer at the New York City Ballet who starred on Broadway in On the Town, plus a podcast host, MBA student, and mother of three, Fairchild explains The Ballerina Mindset that lets her do it all with apparent ease. In parlous times. Stoic philosophy is suddenly trending, and Fideler's Breakfast with Seneca provides an accessible overview. The first woman and first Black minister at the progressive Collegiate Church in Manhattan, which dates from 1628, Lewis shows how we can cope with today's divisive culture by discussing her own reckoning with racism, her interracial marriage, nine daily spiritual practices that have sustained her, and the importance of Fierce Love. In The Power of Fun, award-winning science journalist Price argues that treating fun as an important part of your life--and she doesn't mean binge-watch your favorite TV shows--will make you happier and more productive. In Saving Grace, Powers leans on her experiences as a CNN senior political analyst and USA TODAY columnist to explain how we can maintain mental well-being without deserting our own convictions during conflict-ridden times. Author of the New York Times best-seller and Reese's Book Club pick Fair Play, Rodsky urges women to rethink their priorities and claim essential healing time for themselves in Find Your Unicorn Space. Having left their New York desk jobs and moved to Montana, leading culture journalists Warzel and Petersen see today's pandemic-driven work-at-home situation as a cobbled-together compromise and explain how we can create true Out of Office work schedules benefiting both workers and employers.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 22, 2021
Joy seekers are encouraged to ditch their devices and rediscover delight in this antidote to modern malaise. Price (How to Break Up with Your Phone) explores the opposite of passive scrolling: active pursuits that create playfulness, connection, and flow. Price terms this mental state “True Fun” and argues that fun, often dismissed as “frivolous or selfish,” is in fact essential to a meaningful life (“We can’t control the fact that we will die. But we can control whether we actually live”). She guides readers in identifying their own “fun magnets” and in implementing life changes conducive to fun; though some recommendations are haltingly obvious (such as building time into your schedule for your passions, hobbies, and interests), others forge ahead with fresh perspective. For instance, advising how to build “playgrounds” (“structures, either metaphorical or literal, that foster fun”) and identifying the perhaps surprising factors, from movement to music to water, that are often present when true fun emerges. With screen time and burnout now fixtures of modern life, this is a timely reminder of the value of reprioritizing. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME.

Starred review from December 1, 2021

Price's latest book expands on her previous best-seller How To Break Up with Your Phone with a focus on the benefits of fun. Written during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, the book explores ways for Price to address her own trepidation and anxieties brought on by the global pandemic. Price's research leads her to determine that to aim for fun is good; however, "True Fun" actually happens when one hits the sweet spot harkening back to childhood. Chapters with titles like "Fun Audit" and "Rebel" guide readers through the process of discerning and achieving "True Fun." The author includes charming anecdotes of her own explorations of fun, such as learning to play guitar and rowing crew. The book concludes with an extensive list of works cited and is thoroughly researched, but it is also primarily written through the white gaze. Still, Price's advice on how to stop doom-scrolling and engage in fun, even in small steps, is engaging and attract readers. VERDICT For readers of self-help books seeking science-based insight on the power of fun and how to achieve it as an adult. An optional purchase for public libraries.--Angela Forret, State Lib. of Iowa, Des Moines

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.