Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
- Downloads：7686
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-24 18:16:39
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Susan Cain
- ISBN：0241300665
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In her new masterpiece， the author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet reveals the power of a bittersweet outlook on life， and why we’ve been so blind to its value。
With Quiet， Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued， indispensable introverts among us， thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight。 Now she employs the same mix of research， storytelling， and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing， and the surprising lessons these states of mind teach us about creativity， compassion， leadership， spirituality， mortality， and love。
Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing， poignancy， and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy when beholding beauty。 It recognizes that light and dark， birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired。 A song in a minor key， an elegiac poem， or even a touching television commercial all can bring us to this sublime， even holy， state of mind—and， ultimately， to greater kinship with our fellow humans。
But bittersweetness is not， as we tend to think， just a momentary feeling or event。 It’s also a way of being， a storied heritage。 Our artistic and spiritual traditions—amplified by recent scientific and management research—teach us its power。
Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain。 If we don’t acknowledge our own sorrows and longings， she says， we can end up inflicting them on others via abuse， domination， or neglect。 But if we realize that all humans know—or will know—loss and suffering， we can turn toward each other。 And we can learn to transform our own pain into creativity， transcendence， and connection。
At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety， Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways。
With Quiet， Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued， indispensable introverts among us， thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight。 Now she employs the same mix of research， storytelling， and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing， and the surprising lessons these states of mind teach us about creativity， compassion， leadership， spirituality， mortality， and love。
Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing， poignancy， and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy when beholding beauty。 It recognizes that light and dark， birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired。 A song in a minor key， an elegiac poem， or even a touching television commercial all can bring us to this sublime， even holy， state of mind—and， ultimately， to greater kinship with our fellow humans。
But bittersweetness is not， as we tend to think， just a momentary feeling or event。 It’s also a way of being， a storied heritage。 Our artistic and spiritual traditions—amplified by recent scientific and management research—teach us its power。
Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain。 If we don’t acknowledge our own sorrows and longings， she says， we can end up inflicting them on others via abuse， domination， or neglect。 But if we realize that all humans know—or will know—loss and suffering， we can turn toward each other。 And we can learn to transform our own pain into creativity， transcendence， and connection。
At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety， Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways。
Reviews
Donna Rodgers
，
It got good reviews。 I thought it would be better but I was disappointed。
Jennifer Jones
，
As a melancholic， type 4， INFJ， highly sensitive person Bittersweet is my default state 🙃 I found this to be an interesting read， but nothing particularly groundbreaking。
Dorothy Greco
，
Anyone else out there read this？ Thoughts？ I only made it through the first three chapters and felt like Cain was reaching for so many disparate sources that I put the book down。 I loved Quiet。 Does this get better？
Arielle Key
，
The。 Best。 Book。 Ever。 😳
David Freeman
，
I didn't think that Susan Cain could do it again after Quiet， but this book was excellent。 I've often been asked how I can bear to listen to sad music。 This study of longing and transcendence led me through why and what I might be looking for。。。 I didn't think that Susan Cain could do it again after Quiet， but this book was excellent。 I've often been asked how I can bear to listen to sad music。 This study of longing and transcendence led me through why and what I might be looking for。。。 。。。more
Marisa
，
I found this book very validating of my own personal experience， as well my professional experience， much as I did Cain's previous book， Quiet。 In the USA， our dominant culture falsely equates mental health with constant happiness and the absence of "negative" emotions。 I appreciated the science and the art behind Cain's explication of the presence these emotions。 I found this book very validating of my own personal experience， as well my professional experience， much as I did Cain's previous book， Quiet。 In the USA， our dominant culture falsely equates mental health with constant happiness and the absence of "negative" emotions。 I appreciated the science and the art behind Cain's explication of the presence these emotions。 。。。more
Amy Ring Cebelak
，
This book felt like a hug telling me it was okay to feel sad about things that the world tells us move past。 At times it felt a little out of touch with reality- the author going on these expensive retreats and adventures， but they led to her sharing some really incredible knowledge with the audience， so it makes up for it。
Sally
，
The kind of book that takes years to read and absorb。 ❤️
Angie
，
In her latest nonfiction book， Cain explores the concept of bittersweet--that mix of joy and sadness--that we all experience but rarely think about。 Why do we enjoy listening to sad music， and listen to it more and rate it higher than happier music？ How does sadness enhance our joy？ Is there danger in being too positive？ Cain explores the concept from various perspectives--personal， spiritual， psychological--mostly through interviews with various experts and friends。 Bittersweet tends to skate o In her latest nonfiction book， Cain explores the concept of bittersweet--that mix of joy and sadness--that we all experience but rarely think about。 Why do we enjoy listening to sad music， and listen to it more and rate it higher than happier music？ How does sadness enhance our joy？ Is there danger in being too positive？ Cain explores the concept from various perspectives--personal， spiritual， psychological--mostly through interviews with various experts and friends。 Bittersweet tends to skate over the surface of her topics and evidence rather than explore them in depth。 It is also more disjointed and repetitive than Quiet。 Bittersweet reads more like a combination of memoir and spiritual self-help than the fresh perspective and treatise for individual， societal， and organization change that Quiet delivered。 。。。more
Joy
，
This is a beautiful book that spoke to me in profound ways。 It caused me to ponder long after each reading segment。 A new favorite I will return to again。
Zeina
，
A confirmation to our humanity This book helps you embrace the reality of life， its bittersweetness。It gives you examples from art religion and everyday life and helps you embrace the truth of being human
Ali Carey
，
Wonderfully deep and authentic
Chris LaTray
，
I started out listening to the free audio version and was really into it， such that I ordered the physical copy because I was certain I would want to get back to it。 But then it all went largely awry for me and I'm not sure even what I initially loved about it。 I can relate to sorry and longing 。。。 but somewhere along the way， as Cain repeatedly name drops her famous friends， and jet sets from one expensive "retreat" to the next affordable by only the uber wealthy， I lost my ability to relate to I started out listening to the free audio version and was really into it， such that I ordered the physical copy because I was certain I would want to get back to it。 But then it all went largely awry for me and I'm not sure even what I initially loved about it。 I can relate to sorry and longing 。。。 but somewhere along the way， as Cain repeatedly name drops her famous friends， and jet sets from one expensive "retreat" to the next affordable by only the uber wealthy， I lost my ability to relate to it。 Not my people， not a book for me。 。。。more
Sara Goldenberg
，
Really interesting。 Liked all her books！！！
Beth Dreyer
，
Outstanding work。 Although I see the world differently than the author， I really appreciated the places she took me in this book and the ways she made me think。
Jerrie
，
DNF - just seems random。
Stacey
，
This one fell flat for me。 I loved the concept， as well as the introduction。 I really enjoyed chapter 3。 And then the rest was just sort of meh。 It felt a bit scattered。
Nancy
，
Good information on unraveling human nature and how some traits that people have， which may be labeled are actually a sign of maturation and increased compassion。
Mandy
，
Audio。 I don’t know that I learned anything new from this one， but perhaps if I read and didn’t listen to it I would have taken more in， not sure。 Either way， good stuff about self compassion and feeling “negative” （sad， anger， resentment， bitterness， etc…。） emotions and the benefits of doing so。
Lynn
，
I don't know how to give a half star， but I can't rate it a 4。 The author is fantastic and gifted at insightful research， but she almost seemed too over-excited about the thesis of the book and was thus "all over the place" with discourse and organization。 I get it because I TOO was excited about this thesis and how it explains so much of who I am。 In the end， however， I still didn't truly understand （maybe the author didn't either。。。and I'm missing the point。。which I own， if so） and it felt dis I don't know how to give a half star， but I can't rate it a 4。 The author is fantastic and gifted at insightful research， but she almost seemed too over-excited about the thesis of the book and was thus "all over the place" with discourse and organization。 I get it because I TOO was excited about this thesis and how it explains so much of who I am。 In the end， however， I still didn't truly understand （maybe the author didn't either。。。and I'm missing the point。。which I own， if so） and it felt disjointed。 Regardless， you should read it。 You will better "get" your seemingly mopey friends and better comprehend yourself。 。。。more
Derin K
，
This book was full of life-changing anecdotes， summaries of psychological studies， and musings。 As someone who self-identifies as bittersweet， this was a poignant look into why I react the way I do to certain aspects of life， and how I can adjust my worldview to make the most of the everyday。 The heart of this book lies in the intersection of love and longing， joy and sorrow， fulfillment and loss。 Cain’s words remind us that perfect is found in embracing the imperfect。
Elizabeth
，
Another excellent book by Susan Cain， insightful and true。 Gives me a lot to ponder， and was not surprised at all to find I scored high on the bittersweetness quiz。 Makes me appreciate even more who I am。 A great read！
Karen
，
Well written and worth reading。 I found the discussion of epigenetics and the inheritance of trauma most interesting。
Katrina Gomez Starr
，
Some parts are better than others， but very good。 It was much more about her than the research which felt less helpful than the Quite book
Jordan
，
Cain does such a great job at picking topics to research and write about， and making them relatable and interesting to masses。 The ending chapters were some of the best I’ve read in non-fiction。 Getting to read about the perspectives and thoughts on trans-generational trauma was a really touching and personally motivating section for me。
Stacy Lynn
，
I didn’t need this book to validate the way I am—a person whom people have told all her life to smile more—but it has validated me in ways I never knew I needed。 I am not a sad sack or a gloomy Gus， I am beautifully bittersweet， able to balance the hard and the soft and see snippets of sunshine through the clouds of doom。 I don’t embrace sad at the expense of happy; I simply understand that the happy means nothing in a life devoid of sorrow。
Maggie
，
This book blew me away。 "An intense awareness of passing time is the hallmark of bittersweetness。" The light and the dark and the power of both。 This book blew me away。 "An intense awareness of passing time is the hallmark of bittersweetness。" The light and the dark and the power of both。 。。。more
Dina London
，
I loved Susan Cain's Quiet sooo much。 And， I was extremely disappointed that this book did not come close to the power of Quiet。 Maybe I'm not what Cain calls a bittersweet person so I couldn't relate？ But， in any case， I found the premise hard to follow， the book too "study" based， and the tone rather boring。 I really did want to love it， but had to force myself to finish it。 I loved Susan Cain's Quiet sooo much。 And， I was extremely disappointed that this book did not come close to the power of Quiet。 Maybe I'm not what Cain calls a bittersweet person so I couldn't relate？ But， in any case， I found the premise hard to follow， the book too "study" based， and the tone rather boring。 I really did want to love it， but had to force myself to finish it。 。。。more
Joe
，
When I first ready "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop Talking" many years ago， I was overcome with emotion that someone had so eloquently pieced together the things that I didn't fully understand about myself。 Since then， my life has gotten easier as I've come to understand and embrace my introversion。 When I learned that Susan Cain had written another book， I was eager to read it as well。From the opening prologue about having a melancholy perspective， I was hooked。 To be When I first ready "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop Talking" many years ago， I was overcome with emotion that someone had so eloquently pieced together the things that I didn't fully understand about myself。 Since then， my life has gotten easier as I've come to understand and embrace my introversion。 When I learned that Susan Cain had written another book， I was eager to read it as well。From the opening prologue about having a melancholy perspective， I was hooked。 To be honest， reading this book now feels serendipitous to understanding many of the complex feelings I have about my happiness， pursuits， aging， etc。 With stories of people that have risked and lost， moved on to something better （but different）， Susan Cain eloquently presents how experiencing a bittersweet life is one that is truly lived and allows people to forge deep bonds and connections。For a second time in my life， I feel seen and understood。 I feel at peace with who I am as a person。 I'm blessed to have the life that I have with all the challenges， accomplishments， and connections that I've gained。 It's a feeling that can only be described as。。。。。 bittersweet。 。。。more
Mal
，