When You're Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living by Mark Matousek

From the Publisher

“A guide to keeping the psyche intact when you’re being spun on life’s roulette wheel.”—O

Is there an art to survival? Seeking answers to this intriguing question from a pantheon of master survivors, noted thinkers, and spiritual teachers, acclaimed memoirist Mark Matousek combines decades of personal experience with recent scientific breakthroughs—and heroic testimonies— to create a guidebook for navigating life’s tricky terrain. How do we live with uncertainty—blossom through adversity while others fall apart, prevail in times of change and challenge? “Transformation is in our wiring,” the author concludes by the end of this deeply personal quest.

Publishers Weekly

Memoirist and editor Matousek (Sex Death Enlightenment) attempts to dissect the relationship between life's harshest tests and the gift of self-discovery and survival in this absorbing compendium of anecdotes. The author, who has AIDS, interviews many survivors of trauma and loss, including writer Joan Didion, mystic Andrew Harvey, poet Stanley Kunitz and Tibetan nun Nawang Sangdrol, among others, to inquire how deepest crisis forces us to re-examine our lives and move forward. After stating that "Transformation is in our wiring," Matousek concludes that the key to our survival is not cheating death but living as passionately, creatively and courageously as possible. Using scientific data, psychological research and his own life experiences, he uncovers the essentials of enduring against all odds while answering his chief question: "What force flips a falling person back on his feet, reconstitutes him after disaster, helps him prevail in the face of great challenges?" Matousek shows an uncanny skill for merging spirituality, science and common sense into practical answers for surviving our own lives. (July)

Shawna Thorup - Library Journal

Journalist and memoirist Matousek follows his 1996 memoir, Sex Death Enlightenment, with an exploration of viriditas, the phenomenon of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from unlikely sources. AIDS sets the stage for the author's inquiry into the resiliency some people display when faced with tragedy and trauma. Each chapter is an anecdote, or parable, about a person's survivoring (most of those interviewed are well known, e.g., Joan Didion, Ram Dass, and Stanley Kunitz). The attempt to thread the stories into a cohesive narrative rope is hampered by their sheer emotion, creating an odd offering that may not comfort. The subjects inspire and may teach by example, but there are no easy answers or self-help style checklists here. Matousek's elevated vocabulary and intrusive voice and persona jar. Consider where similar titles are in demand, e.g., Betty Rollin's cancer survivor-themed Here's the Bright Side, Jeanne Elizabeth Sexson's woman-focused Down but Not Out, or David Wolpe's uplifting Making Loss Matter. This title may be useful in an academic setting supporting post-traumatic and grief coursework and would make a good book-discussion selection. An optional purchase for public and academic libraries.

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