Wellmania

Book excerpt: THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE HIT NETFLIX SERIES "I laughed so hard I choked on a donut reading this book."—Jen Mann, NYT-bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat Tired of late-night parties and all-day hangovers, thirty-something-year-old journalist Brigid Delaney decides to test the things that are supposed to make us healthy and whole, looking (with skepticism) to the trillion dollar wellness industry as her guide. She begins with a controversial and brutal 101-day fast, which leaves her glowing and "giddy," but also unemployed, bed-ridden, and strangely stinky. Next, she tries yoga classes, meditation, CBT, Balinese healing, silent retreats, group psychotherapy, and more, sorting through the fads and expensive hype to find out what works, while asking, "What does all this say about us?" With refreshing honesty and biting wit, Wellmania is an all too relatable book about the lengths we go to achieve optimal health—and whether it’s really worth it. As The Cut's Katey Heaney said: "Reading about all these impossible, expensive, scientifically unsupported self-improvement projects piled end on end, I wanted to shake Delaney, as I might shake myself, were I brave enough to tally all the money I've spent on green juice and witchy crap." According to comedian Judith Lucy, the result of Delaney's harrowing wellness journey is "a bloody entertaining read that leaves you wondering whether you want to do yoga or get mindlessly drunk and despair at the state of the world."