De Botton’s experience with his educational venture, The School of Life, is far-reaching in the topics that matter but which we seldom talk about in polite society: self-regard, relationships and our fears and hopes.

His contention is that we’re all quite damaged and adversely affected from our formative years (no matter what good intentions our parents and caregivers had), and that those experiences are informing on how we behave and what we unconsciously think and do to this day. And where so much of the discourse in our society is about being tough, in control, a winner and a success, few of us feel like that – even if we are.

Using the principles of psychotherapy and a general call to be kinder and more forgiving to ourselves and others, he talks about how we’re not coping, but how we deserve to cope and how we might go about it. That’s the underlying premise of the book, but the other quite magical part is in the execution. De Botton writes like a poet, the actual prose feeling like a gentle caress, so lyrical and full of peaceful and caring imagery and metaphor it feels like he’s hugging you and telling you you’re going to be okay.

If A Therapeutic Journey doesn’t move you close to tears and make you feel really listened to, at least a couple of times, you either have a perfect life or you’re a robot.

Reviewed by Drew Turney

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969 and now lives in London. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries.

Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education.

Alain started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love [titled On Love in the US], was published when he was twenty-three.

Visit Alain de Botton’s website