Religion & Mysticism (comparative & cross-cultural)

Backed by its technological achievements, modern science appears as the de facto source of truth to the majority of our contemporaries. Its sole reliance on reason and empirical data gives it an air of objectivity that has conferred upon it an almost unquestioning authority.

In our consumer capitalist society, it should surprise no one that religion is for sale as never before. From jewellery to meditation pillows to tourist retreats, Eastern religious traditions are imitated, rebranded as new age or spiritual, and marketed as an answer to suffering in the modern world.

Here is Leo Tolstoy's first book of "Daily Thoughts," never before translated into English, compiled by Tolstoy in 1906 to share inspiring quotes from more than forty philosophers for each day of the year. Aphorisms and ideas collected by Tolstoy in his other volumes have affected the lives of millions.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed comes a brave, frank, and exquisitely written memoir that will change the way you see the world.