NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER AND THE ECONOMIST

"Life Is Hard is a humane consolation for challenging times. Reading it is like speaking with a thoughtful friend who never tells you to cheer up, but, by offering gentle companionship and a change of perspective, makes you feel better anyway." -- The New York Times Book Review

There is no cure for the human condition: life is hard. But Kieran Setiya believes philosophy can help. He offers us a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world.

In this profound and personal book, Setiya shows how the tools of philosophy can help us find our way. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy as well as fiction, history, memoir, film, comedy, social science, and stories from Setiya's own experience, Life Is Hard is a book for this moment -- a work of solace and compassion.

Warm, accessible, and good-humored, this book is about making the best of a bad lot. It offers guidance for coping with pain and making new friends, for grieving the lost and failing with grace, for confronting injustice and searching for meaning in life. Countering pop psychologists and online influencers who admonish us to "find our bliss" and "live our best lives," Setiya acknowledges that the best is often out of reach. Instead, he asks how we can weather life's adversities, finding hope and living well when life is hard.

• We started tracking this book on September 11, 2022.
• This book was $15.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 28 times in the past 1,191 days.
• The current price of this book is $4.99 last checked 15 hours ago.
• The lowest price to date was $4.99 last reached on December 14, 2025.
• This book has been $4.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $15.99 last reached on May 27, 2023.
• This book has been $15.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• Politics & Social SciencesPhilosophyConsciousness & Thought

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 236 Pages
• File Size: 24 KB