Read for courage when life goes wrong

Anthropologist Yuan Changgeng turns to more than twenty very different works to examine ordinary lives under war, disease, economic decline, anxiety, aging, separation, illness, and death.

“Unlucky” means facing the forces and limitations that bear upon a life; “guide” does not mean offering a formula. Instead, reading becomes a reserve of resources for recovering agency, questioning worn-out advice, and rebuilding common sense with courage, love, and hope.