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The Happy Depressive: In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness
 
 
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The Happy Depressive: In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness [Kindle Edition]

Alastair Campbell (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews) |
Digital List Price: £2.14 What's this?
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Product Description

Book Description

Now in print, Alastair Campbell's timely and thought-provoking short book, The Happy Depressive.

Product Description

Are you happy? Does it matter?


Increasingly, governments seem to think so. As the UK government conducts its first happiness survey, in this digital first, 15,000 word ebook, Alastair Campbell looks at happiness as a political as well as a personal issue; what it should mean to us, what it means to him. Taking in economic theories and the example of Bhutan - which measures 'gross national happiness' ahead of gross domestic product - he questions how happiness can survive in a grossly negative media culture, and how it could inform social policy.


But happiness is also deeply personal. Campbell, who suffers from depression, looks in the mirror and finds a bittersweet reflection, a life divided between the bad and not-so-bad days, where the highest achievements in his professional life could leave him numb, and he can somehow look back on a catastrophic breakdown 25 years ago as the best thing that happened to him; he writes too of what he has learnt from the recent death of his best friend, further informing his view that the pursuit of happiness is a long game.


Part of the Brain Shots series, the pre-eminent source for high quality, short-form digital non-fiction.

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Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 218 KB
  • Publisher: Cornerstone Digital (12 Jan 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B006OM79MU
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,656 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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More About the Author

Alastair Campbell
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This is an excellent and thought-provoking read. The Happy Depressive isn't another self-help book but then I don't think Alastair Campbell set out to write one of those. The book sees the author draw very candidly upon many of his own personal experiences, setting them in a context that will be recognised by most readers, whether or not their lives have been affected by mental illness. The book challenges the political classes to consider more carefully than ever before how policies impact the wellbeing of individuals, communities and countries. This is especially relevant in this period of austerity.

Where the book is particularly effective is in distinguishing between depression and unhappiness. Depression, like any other illness, pays no respect to relationships, income or lifestyle. If this book achieves just one thing, I hope it can help explain to sufferers and non-sufferers that a feeling of unhappiness is not the same as a state of depression and perhaps more importantly, depressives can feel great happiness. That's why the title of the book really works.

So I would thoroughly recommend this book to you if you suffer from depression or don't, if you are in a relationship with a sufferer or not, if you're a parent, a political animal or party animal! I hope this isn't the last time Alastair Campbell writes on these issues.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
The Happy Depressive 23 Jan 2012
By L4books
Format:Kindle Edition
What is happiness? That's the question Alastair Campbell tries to answer in this searingly honest account of living with depression.
Yes, the politics and policies that can contribute to our happiness are examined, but the most moving sections are his personal battles with the down days.

It's hard not to read the part about his breakdown, without tears. The picture of this strong, clever man, reduced to piling his possessions on the floor, and being arrested, is heart-wrenching.

As Tony Blair's Director of Communications, he was a formidable figure in British politics. You may like him or loathe him. But few would deny that it takes huge guts to admit things like his battle with alcohol.

The methods for coping are in here too -- with an acknowledgment that they're not always foolproof.

And he writes openly about the nature of friendship and family, including the death of close friends, that will make you think carefully about what and whom you value in your life.

I was reading it on a grim, grey, wet January morning. When I finished, I looked out the window, and a patch of blue had appeared. Read this, it will make you think, and be happier.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By joc66 TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was lucky enough to hear Alastair Campbell give "The Happiness Lecture" in Birmingham last year, and reading this e-book reminded me just how much I'd enjoyed the lecture at the time. Although this is short, Campbell has much to say about his two main themes. Firstly, the role governments should play in happiness creation, and secondly, how and when individuals can be truly happy. Of course, Campbell's work as a journalist and within government and also his struggle with depression mean that his is a view that is worth listening to. He is very willing to draw on personal experiences to develop his arguments whether about the trial of following a football team that plays four hours away from where you live, the sheer panic of suffering a breakdown or the emotions felt watching a dear friend die of cancer. As others have noted, it continues Campbell's efforts break down the taboo about mental illness but it is also much much more. This is a quick read, packed with insight and I thoroughly recommend it as an antidote to the materialism and short-term gratification we all too often mistake for happiness.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A 'must have' in your collection
The Happy Depressive intrigued me from the moment I encountered the title. The paradox suggested not only is investigated through the personal life of Alastair Campbell, but also... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brendan Foley
Short but worth it
I was almost put off buying this book by a couple of the reviews complaining its too short (one claimed he read it in 15 minutes which is nonsense! Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. McKenzie
Highly recommended
I started listening to this (audio)book in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep and ended up listening to the whole thing. It was un-turnoffable. Read more
Published 2 months ago by LairdNW5
Inspiring read
I enjoyed this book so much I find I am spending my time recommending it to others. It's a compact insightful read, I found it made me want to debate with others on what made them... Read more
Published 3 months ago by daphne80
A MUST READ
This is one of the BEST books i have ever read, it is well worth purchasing you will NOT be disappointed Buy it now it is an Amazing read !! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Julie cook
happy depressive
An excellent read. You can't read this and not see bits of yourself. An honest account of dealing with life and what it can through at you. Read more
Published 4 months ago by pgordon
Thought provoking and a thoroughly great read
I really enjoyed this book. It reads very easily and is not long, but what you get is an excellent and thought-provoking read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jon Lawrence
Must read
As a person who suffers from depression I must admit I was a bit sceptical about reading this book,how wrong I was,Alastair has used the English language in a great way to describe... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dermot Hill
Thought provoking
The Happy Depressive is moving and thought provoking. Alastair Campbell takes a typically brave stance in his approach to mental illness, that is one of total honesty and plain... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tim
A must read
The Happy Depressive takes you on a great, honest and touching journey. I cried, I laughed and when I finished it, it truly left an intense feeling of reassurance.
Published 4 months ago by Rebecca Brindle
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Connect with the people around you Be active Take notice  be curious and aware of the world around you Keep learning  try something new &quote;
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Are we, in fact, here to be happy? Or might it be that we are here to become better people and make a better world, and only in so doing will we find meaningful happiness? &quote;
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