101 Essays That Will Change Your Life

by Brianna West

There are flashes of insight and intrigue throughout, but I struggled to fully buy into the advice, perhaps because it’s being delivered by someone named Brianna. Personal prejudice aside, the book contains a handful of worthwhile observations, though few struck me as revelations. What I found harder to swallow was the breathless marketing copy: “Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing.” Let's not get carried away. Socrates she is not. The blurb goes on to boast that “Some of these pieces have never been seen…” and, after reading them, I can only conclude that some things are unpublished for a reason. They could have stayed tucked away indefinitely, and civilization would have carried on just fine.