Scan barcode
A review by vailtoset10
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I was given an advance readers copy of The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell and I'm so happy I was able to get an early copy because I could not put this book down.
The content of the book is extremely similar to her book Cultish, except this time she's discussing why our brains are the way they are. She talks about the different biases everyone is prone to and gives insight into how they come about. She also talks about how she herself has fallen trap to these biases, and how it led her to where she is today.
The thing I loved most about Magical Overthinking was that despite being about the fact that the way we think is a problem in society, and that even if the roots make complete sense it no longer makes sense today, she never comes across as judgmental. This feels like you sitting down with your grad student friend who's telling you about her thesis, what she's learned, and it's comforting. I never felt lectured or talked down to, rather, I felt like it was an old friend having a conversation with me.
So many portions of this book resonated with me. I could think of exact moments of what she was explaining from others or myself. If you enjoyed Cultish, you'll enjoy The Age of Magical Overthinking.
The content of the book is extremely similar to her book Cultish, except this time she's discussing why our brains are the way they are. She talks about the different biases everyone is prone to and gives insight into how they come about. She also talks about how she herself has fallen trap to these biases, and how it led her to where she is today.
The thing I loved most about Magical Overthinking was that despite being about the fact that the way we think is a problem in society, and that even if the roots make complete sense it no longer makes sense today, she never comes across as judgmental. This feels like you sitting down with your grad student friend who's telling you about her thesis, what she's learned, and it's comforting. I never felt lectured or talked down to, rather, I felt like it was an old friend having a conversation with me.
So many portions of this book resonated with me. I could think of exact moments of what she was explaining from others or myself. If you enjoyed Cultish, you'll enjoy The Age of Magical Overthinking.