The "heart-breaking" (New York Times Book Review), rollicking, award-winning novel that has been described as "Oliver Twist in 1970s Africa" (Les Inrockuptibles)"One of the most compelling books you'll read in any language this year." —Rolling StoneWinner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy AwardLonglisted for the Man Booker International PrizeShortlisted for the ...

An argument that operational urban planning can be improved by the application of the tools of urban economics to the design of regulations and infrastructure.Urban planning is a craft learned through practice. Planners make rapid decisions that have an immediate impact on the ground—the width of streets, the minimum size of land parcels, the heights of buildings. The language they use to describe their objectives is qualitative—“sustainable,” “livable,” “resilient...

Many Christians are frustrated because their respective realities do not seem to be consistent with the promises of the Word of God. In Living in Victory, we go to where Christians currently stand, and show them the way to victorious living.One consistent truth about God reflected throughout the Bible is that wherever God is present, He changes the situation for the better. We see evidence of this in the beginning, when God stepped into the void, darkness, and formlessness to create the kn...

In Edinburgh, a couple, Rabih and Kirsten, fall in love. They get married, they have children -- but no relationship is as simple as "happily ever after." The Course of Love is a novel that explores what happens after the birth of love, what it takes to maintain love, and what happens to our original ideals under the pressures of an average existence. With philosophical insight and psychological acumen, Alain de Botton shows that our Romantic dreams may do us a grave disservice --...

From the author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, a delightful, truly consoling work that proves that philosophy can be a supreme source of help for our most painful everyday problems.Perhaps only Alain de Botton could uncover practical wisdom in the writings of some of the greatest thinkers of all time. But uncover he does, and the result is an unexpected book of both solace and humor. Dividing his work into six sections -- each highlighting a different psychic ...

Sun, fun, family...and a bingo hall murder?Clarissa Spencer’s love life is heating up. And that means it’s time to introduce her boyfriend to her parents. Will they approve of him? Will their special brand of crazy scare him away? Poor Clarissa is a bundle of nerves.A suspicious death provides the perfect distraction. Who killed Bobby the bingo caller? The list of suspects is long but if anyone can narrow it down, it’s Clarissa.

Going traveling is one of the few things we undertake in a direct attempt to make ourselves happy—and frequently, in fascinating ways, we fail. We get bored, cross, anxious, or lonely. It isn’t surprising: our societies act as if going traveling were simple, just a case of handing over the right sum of money. But a satisfying journey isn’t something we can simply buy, and sadly something that should fill us with excitement can often end up being a source of angst and stress. This is the gu...

Bestselling author Alain de Botton considers how our private homes and public edifices influence how we feel, and how we could build dwellings in which we would stand a better chance of happiness.In this witty, erudite look at how we shape, and are shaped by, our surroundings, Alain de Botton applies Stendhal’s motto that “Beauty is the promise of happiness” to the spaces we inhabit daily. Why should we pay attention to what architecture has to say to us? de Botton asks provocative...

A guide to our anxious minds, offering a pathway to calm, self-compassion, and mental well-being.We all experience anxiety, but too often we bottle up our anxiousness, ashamed of what others might say, and end up feeling isolated and afraid. But anxiety is normal and deeply human. This book explains why we feel it, how we experience it, and what we can do about it.With their trademark combination of practicality, philosophy, and wit, The School of Life exam...

A thought-provoking guide to one of the greatest questions we will ever face - what is the meaning of life?It may seem useless, silly, or overwhelming to ponder the meaning of life. In truth, it is essential to ask ourselves this question in order to define and work towards a more meaningful existence.This book presents a range of areas in which we can seek the meaning of life, including love, family, friendship, work, self-knowledge and nature. We discover...

From the author of The Architecture of Happiness, a deeply moving meditation on how we can still benefit, without believing, from the wisdom, the beauty, and the consolatory power that religion has to offer.Alain de Botton was brought up in a committedly atheistic household, and though he was powerfully swayed by his parents' views, he underwent, in his mid-twenties, a crisis of faithlessness. His feelings of doubt about atheism had their origins in listening to Ba...

A fresh approach to matters of the heart, Relationships offers practical skills and new attitudes for a more mature vision of love.Since around 1750, we have been living in the era of Romanticism, which has shaped the way we approach love, marriage, and sex. When it comes to love, this book argues, Romanticism has been a disaster.Full of real-life examples, lively humor, and cultural anecdotes, Relationships teaches us:That l...