The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World | 
 enlarge | Author: Eric Weiner
Publisher: Twelve
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 664
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0446580260
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.4
EAN: 9780446580267
ASIN: 0446580260
Publication Date: January 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling books online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080511230353T
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Product Description
Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." The book uses a beguiling mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? With engaging wit and surprising insights, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions. (2007)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...
 AVL sux May 4, 2008
Great book. Lauds geographer as the best job imaginable... Although, Asheville sucks, don't move here! Moldova has fresher fruits.
A real contribution to the theory of happiness April 28, 2008
I agree with the other reviews that this is a funny, well-written travel and self-discovery book. However, I bought it because I'm interested in the philosophy and science of happiness: books like The Science behind Your Smile, Satisfaction and Happiness: A History. Weiner has made a serious contribution to this subject by field-testing the theories in a wide range of environments. This is top-notch journalism, despite author's prominence and irreverent style. In the end, I was reminded more of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas than anything I've read more recently.
Some theoretical work on happiness seems to be pure wordplay, you're not sure if the author has really said anything. Other work seems more interested in appearing scientific than exploring the subject. Weiner has read both sides (as well as the solid work in between), then gone looking to see if the insights meant anything in the world. The result is deceptively deep and thoughtful, it will change the way you think about both happiness and the world.
 nice writing April 27, 2008
well worth your time - thought provoking - i'd like to meet the moldovian women !!
Delightful... April 21, 2008
I approached "The Geography of Bliss" with some trepidation. If not for the subtitle ("One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World") I might not have read it at all. The author's dissatisfied frame of mind was crucial to me being open minded to this. 300 pages about other people being happy? Sounds like hell to me.
Surprisingly, this has been one of the best reading experiences I've had this year, right up there with "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield and "The Diana Chronicles" by Tina Brown. No, this book has nothing in common with those two... only my high praise unites them. "The Geography of Bliss" is a delightful combination of travelogue and empirical studies into the different way cultures experience happiness. Right off the bat, this is an unruly undertaking because (as the author acknowledges) happiness is hard to define and measure. But he does his best, and what emerges if a fascinating, uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable read. I learned a lot in each leg of the trip, from Holland to Qatar to Great Britain.
My favorite chapter is about Bhutan (the model for Hilton's Shangri-La) a country at the Himalayan foothills. Not only does the landscape come alive in this section, but the revelations about the Bhutanese are downright bizarre. I'll save it for you... adult readers only! I was a little less enthralled by the Thailand bit. Weiner's lighthearted touch falls flat when detailing the Bangkok sex trade, which seems sad and exploitative to me. Also, after talking a great deal about Buddhism and karma, he sums up the happy Thai spirit, "If nothing you do matters, then life suddenly feels a lot less heavy. It's just one big game." That doesn't compute with what he's just said about Buddhism, where what you do matters a great deal. I'm not sure what he means.. it's either sloppy writing or I missed something.
Overall, I adored this book. Dare I say it, it made me feel happier. Whatever your frame of mind, try this one!
A must read for avid world travelers April 19, 2008
This book presents a very nice mix of philosophy, sociology and travel. Well written, interesting observations about many cultures around the world. Having been to many of the countries discussed and wanting to go to some others, I found it quite enjoyable to read about his experiences and observations. Yes, he does have a lot of one liners, but very few elicit an eye roll and many are humorous. I also found myself contemplating my own situation in a different light. A nice catalyst for introspection in addition to an excellent read.
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