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Title details for The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone - Available

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

by Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Is there a secret to happiness? Beloved comedian Paula Poundstone conducts a series of "thoroughly scientific" experiments to find out, offering herself up as a guinea pig and recording her data for the benefit of all humankind. Armed with her unique brand of self-deprecating wit and the scientific method, in each chapter Paula tries out a different get-happy hypothesis. She gets in shape with taekwondo. She drives fast behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. She communes with nature while camping with her daughter. Swing dancing? Meditation? Volunteering? Does any of it bring her happiness? And more important, can the happiness last when she returns to the daily demands of her chaotic life? The results are irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny, and pointedly relevant to our times. The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness is both a hilarious story of jumping into new experiences with both feet and a surprisingly poignant tale of a working mother raising three kids. Paula is a master of her craft. Her comedic brilliance, served up in abundance in this book, has been compared to that of George Carlin, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, and David Sedaris.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    May 9, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781681684048
      • File size: 218253 KB
      • Duration: 07:34:41

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 26, 2017
      One of veteran comedian Poundstone’s highest-profile recurring gigs involves panelist duties on National Public Radio’s Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! game show, and the accomplished funnywoman draws quite effectively on her natural ease in front of a microphone, bringing the droll quality of her stand-up comedy to the audio medium. The narrative centers on her quest to find the elusive experience of bliss through various experiments, ranging from the altruism of donating plasma and volunteering in a nursing home to the hedonism of renting a sports car or watching movies at home with her three kids for 24 hours in a row. Poundstone’s turn imitating the teenage angst of her technology-addicted son leaves a particularly memorable impression. An Algonquin hardcover.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Comedian Paula Poundstone wanted to know if there's a secret to happiness, so she became the test subject of her totally unscientific research. Listeners are the beneficiaries. In each chapter, she tests a new hypothesis for happiness, starting with getting fit with taekwondo and moving to camping with her daughter, dancing, and spending more time with her family. Along with scientific-sounding evaluations and analyses comes the wisdom, laced with her canny observations and sparkling wit, and delivered in her trademark deadpan tone. For instance, did you know that cello hours are longer than computer hours? And she loves to read to her kids but thinks it's better to have an audiobook on when she's driving. Thank you, Paula, for going through all that tedious research. I feel much happier after listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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