Aggressively Happy: A Realist's Guide to Believing in the Goodness of Life

"A sumptuous feast."--HALEY STEWART, author of Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life

"Her unflappable hope and sense of enchantment radiate through every page."--BOZE HERRINGTON, novelist

"Lyrical prose and delightful storytelling."--THE REV. DR. GLENN PACKIAM

Discover the Way Toward a Lighter, Braver, and Wiser Life

This old world can be exhausting, despairing, and cynical. But you don't have to be.

Instead, you can unlock the power to a happy life--an act of defiance that will make you more resilient in times of turmoil, pain, and chaos. Cultivating happiness takes grit, determination, and a good sense of humor. It's not always easy, but it's well worth it.

Beloved writer Joy Marie Clarkson leads the way, crafting an audacious case for happiness no matter what you're going through. With her signature humor and lyrical storytelling, Joy offers an irresistible invitation:

"If we accept that life will be full of difficulties and sorrows, we then have two options: to resign ourselves to life generally being a bummer, or to seek enjoyment, delight, and hope in the midst of (and in spite of!) life's up and downs. To put it bluntly: You could choose to cultivate happiness, or you could not. . . . I think we should go for it."

Go, therefore, and choose an aggressively happy life.

Joy Marie Clarkson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is an author, podcaster, editor, and scholar. She is a research associate in theology and literature at King's College London and the books and culture editor at Plough Quarterly. Clarkson is the author of Aggressively Happy and You Are a Tree and writes regularly for publications including Christianity Today and Mere Orthodoxy. She lives in London, England.