An interesting read, and recommended for anyone who is affected by anxiety (and probably even those who aren't). It's not a cure, but it includes worthwhile material.

I was given an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great advice on a topic that I think is of huge importance to our young people. I work at a university where I see high levels of anxiety in students. Some cannot even function due to anxiety. It is a widespread problem, and I am glad to see that it is being addressed.

I have dealt with feelings of “not good enough “ and anxiety for much of my life. This book has been very helpful in showing me ways to work through these negativities. The author provides very clear suggestions and explains the how and why behind these. Well-written and useful. Recommended for sure.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Tim Burkett certainly has the qualifications to write about ANYTHING (my emphasis) ZEN. He's practiced Zen Buddhism for over 54 years, is a psychologist, a Zen Buddhist priest, and the Guiding Teacher of Minnesota Zen Meditation. Face it, the man has the credentials to teach us, and teach us he does.

Looking at our natural human fears through the lens of Zen Buddhism, Burkett takes us into the areas of our deepest pains, and guides us on how to process and release them by looking inward through meditation. He educates us through parables, quotes, and his own warm-hearted wisdom on how to respond to things that stress us in a different way so that we don't have to continue to feel the high levels of stress, anxiety and unfulfillment that are so prevalent in today's world.

The book consists of ten chapters, each putting forth a different tenet, each of which end with a section called Doing the Work which contains exercises to make the contents of that chapter personal thereby reinforcing the tenet taught. Burkett then finishes with an epilogue discussing the common thread through the various religions of the world.

To be given a new way of looking at something, of understanding, is a gift without measure. Zen in the Age of Anxiety is that gift. It has convinced me to make time in my day for meditation and given me many things to think about. Maybe, someday, I can live as wholly and as happily as Tim Burkett. All things are possible.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Shambala Publications, Inc. for allowing me the privilege of reading and review this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions here are strictly my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Zen in the Age of Anxiety puts forth a bold claim: many salient issues of contemporary western life, surrounding money, sex, failure, death, and a host of other issues. The book present an approach in which these issues are pseudo-issues; in other words, if you accepted Burkett's Zen framework, you would not be troubled by them. A softer reading of the book is that one can incorporate certain elements of Zen in dealing with these specific problems (a bottom-up as opposed to top-down incorporation of Zen).. Insofar as the goal of the book was to present tangible solutions to these issues that do not merely dismiss them as problems but present alternative ways of thinking about them, the book succeeds.

My biggest issue with the book was the way it did not speak to the skeptical reader in me. I feel deeply troubled by many of the issues he raised (but not money), and I am not persuaded that I can be liberated from them. The issue of self-hatred was sort of dismissed. Adopting Zen principles does not feel strong enough of a solution to liberate me from them. There is something deeply gripping about them that is missed both by the argumentation, the scientific evidence, and the anecdotal evidence presented by the book.

Do I feel changed after reading this book? Not yet. Do I feel challenged? Yes.

The strongest aspects of the book were the careful treatment of problems (I wanted more depth) and the anecdotes (I wanted more, particular of the author's time with Suzuki Roshi). The egalitarian coda fell extremely flat for me, as if the author were trying to demonstrate that he was not trying to convert people to another "religion." I have studied Buddhism in some depth and want to laud the author for his clear presentation of complicated ideas.

Overall I would recommend this book. I doubt that reading it will cure anyone of their anxiety, but there are tangible tools presented.

Lots of valuable information condensed in ten chapters. I appreciated that the intro laid out exactly what to expect in the each chapter so I could get a sense of what I was about to learn. I came into the book as a novice who only occasionally meditates, though I see the value. After reading, I was motivated to add more meditation into my day. Each chapter follows with an activity to practice and there are interesting quotes throughout the book. My favorite chapter was towards the end when the author discussed brain elasticity. I was given an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
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