#84 in Biography & memoir
Reasons to Stay Alive
- 272
- Pages
- about 5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Reasons to Stay Alive” is a frank, humorous account of depression and anxiety by a writer whose world collapsed at twenty-four. Haig’s candour is the book’s strength: he shows how an ordinary errand can become an ordeal, and people who have been there recognise it. Some readers find it too light, closer to general self-help than to a descent into the experience itself. It touches on suicidal thoughts, which is worth knowing beforehand.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
At the age of 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth. "I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.8 across 248 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 63% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Biography & memoir average of 8.1. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 20 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 228 | 92% |
Frequently asked
How long is Reasons to Stay Alive?
It has 272 pages — shorter than 68% of the ranked books in Biography & memoir.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Biography & memoir — with scores between 7.9 and 8.0, closest to this book.
