Lessons from an American Stoic:
How Emerson Can Change Your Life
“Those looking for commonsense guidance to a more self-directed life will find it here.”
~ Publishers Weekly
In “Lessons From an American Stoic,” Mark Matousek reminds us that inside the human mind resides not a stable self but a “shifting composite,” a messy bundle of “impressions, memories, expectations, projections, opinions, and myths.” Mr. Matousek’s book offers 12 lessons to help us take charge of our complex inner lives. The lessons have the same underlying purpose – to persuade us that self-awareness is the
pathway to self-reliance and individual healing.”
~ The Wall Street Journal
“This beautifully written book on Emerson offers great principles and notions for living through these difficult times. It restored my enthusiasm, confidence, compassion, and willingness to resist authority. It made me braver to be myself, to embrace paradox and be proud all the ways I have refused to conform. It’s a guide for living outside binaries. It’s a book of great vitality, vision and liberation.”
— V (formerly Eve Ensler) author of Reckoning
“In Lessons from an American Stoic, Matousek is more than an outstanding biographer of the legendary Emerson. He joins the lineage of Emerson by adding his own hard-earned wisdom and care. In translating Emerson’s insights to our modern world, Mark has done a great service for the soul of America. This is a great book. It will open your heart, expand your mind, and help you live more truly, more fully, and more lovingly.”
~ Mark Nepo, author of The Half-Life of Angels
Writing to Awaken:
A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery
“Filled with powerful stories and revealing exercises, this book opens the craft of writing as a way to dive into the art of self-reflection. It will restore meaning and change your life.”
~Mark Nepo
Writing to Awaken is an inspirational investigation of the self through expressive writing, guiding you along the path of awakening through radical truth-telling and self-inquiry. With targeted and revelatory questions, you’ll be prompted to explore your own personal narrative—to write honestly about your deepest wounds, greatest challenges, hidden gifts, yearnings, and opportunities for growth—in order to discover a deeply authentic understanding of yourself and move toward a more liberated, truthful life.
Sex Death Enlightenment: A True Story
“An extraordinarily articulate chronicle of how the sickness of our time can spawn spiritual awakening and compassion.”
~Ram Dass
“It’s hard to know when you’re having a breakdown in New York City. The symptoms of living here, succeeding here, and losing your mind here are almost identical.” So begins Matousek’s 1996 breakout memoir about leaving a fast-track publishing life (working for pop artist Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine) and hitting the dharma trail in search of a meaningful life and spiritual wisdom.
The Boy He Left Behind: A Man’s Search for His Lost Father
“A searing meditation on the psychic harm suffered by men and women without fathers, this wise odyssey wrestles with questions of life and death and the search for the meaning of one’s existence.”
~Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“I was four years old when my father came back to kidnap me,” begins this gripping memoir about Matousek’s search for James Matousek, the drifter father he never knew. Described by the New York Times as ” part reminiscence, part detective story, part spiritual musing,” this memoir is more than the story of one man’s search for his father; it is also a look at the meaning of life and how fathers contribute to that meaning.
When You’re Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living
“A guide to keeping the psyche intact when you’re being spun on life’s roulette wheel.”
~O Magazine
Do survivors of life’s greatest trials possess a secret knowledge? Why do some people blossom through adversity while others fall apart? What mysterious power gets us back on our feet after we’ve been knocked down? The answer: viriditas, the power of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from the unlikeliest places.
Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life
“A riveting, fun, and insightful tour of life’s meaning and purpose, essential reading for anyone drawn to the query, ‘How ought we to live?’”
~Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence
In Ethical Wisdom, Matousek weaves together ideas from cognitive psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and evolutionary biology to explain why human beings choose (or not) to do the right thing. No book could be timelier or more timeless.
Mother of the Unseen World: The Mystery of Mother Meera
“Mother of the Unseen World is absolutely riveting, deeply searching, and thought-provoking.”
~Gretchen Rubin
Throughout history there have been rare individuals who transcend what seems humanly possible, “enlightened” beings born with knowledge and experience that defy explanation. Kamala Reddy was a ten-year-old servant in rural India when her mysterious powers were recognized; she is believed to be an “avatar”—a divine incarnation in human form—and was soon given the name Mother Meera.
