Good Living in Hard Times speaks to those who wish to live well even when life does not go so well. While ostensibly about spirituality, it descends from pep talk into off-putting lecture. People pursuing spirituality likely know to eat greens, go for a walk and address their bad moods.
Modern spirituality does have its share of people unable or unwilling to face obstacles like money and mental health, but the tone taken and advice given does not seem conducive to solving the problem. One bewildering chapter went so far as to categorize the types of walk a person can go on – walks are good in meditation. However, the basic practice of walking probably doesn’t need that much analysis – no well-known religion has, as of yet, founded a school of thought around the motivations for walking.
The book has good intentions but it never gets anywhere near its goal.
~ review by Diana Rajchel
Author: Stafford Whiteaker
O Books, 2012
pp. 282, $24.95
