Sane New World

Numerous books have tackled aspects of the mind’s complexity (such as Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Brainstorm or Daniel Goleman’s Focus), but none have examined the subject from the perspective of someone who has lost their sanity, regained it, gotten a master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in order to retain it, and then written an accessible “user’s guide” for it… Until now.

A #1 bestseller in the UK, Ruby Wax’s Sane New World (Perigee paperback, on-sale Nov 4, 2014) is a candid, no-nonsense manual to deal with the negative voices inside your head from someone who has been there, done that, and gotten the degree. Wax, a comedian and mental health advocate, has suffered her share depression, and though she covers that journey here, her book isn’t a memoir and it isn’t just for those struggling with mental disorders. Rather, the book is a roadmap for anyone who wants to better understand their brain and the ways in which they can tame it. Divided into five sections, the book encompasses:

What’s Wrong with Us? For the Normal Mad—Describing the negative feelings and emotions that affect “normal” people
What’s Wrong with Us? For the Mad-Mad—Exploring problems that affect mentally ill people
What’s in Your Brain/What’s on Your Mind?—Covering the nuts and bolts of how the brain work, its parts, its processes, and the things that keep a healthy brain firing
Mindfulness: Taming Your Mind—Offering an effective tool to calm a brain in overdrive
Alternative Suggestions for Peace of Mind—Providing yet more techniques that have been shown to help

Like Wax’s TED Talk (“What’s so funny about mental illness”), which has received nearly 1.4 million views, Sane New World offers a compelling new way to view your mind—and lifts the veil of shame so often associated with mental illness. I hope you will consider covering the book and/or speaking with Ruby Wax. I look forward to touching base with you soon about these opportunities!