First published 2000
William James faces a crisis that defines his era and ours: the search for meaningful work. The future philosopher and psychologist wrestles with depression and uncertainty about his purpose. His family watches as he struggles to commit to medicine, art, or philosophy. James writes letters filled with doubt and sketches that reveal his inner turmoil. His diaries capture a brilliant mind at war with itself. The young man who will later revolutionize American thought first must survive his own mental illness. Work becomes both his torment and his salvation. James discovers that finding meaningful labor requires confronting his deepest fears about failure and success. His journey from paralysis to productivity speaks to anyone who has questioned their place in the world. This portrait shows how one man's private battle with purpose became a public triumph of intellectual achievement.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, mental-illness, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
384 pages · Paperback · Cornell University Press
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness