THE VULNERABLE MAN

Entrepreneur and life coach Anderson derives inspirational life lessons from reflecting on his personal diary in this memoir and self-help book.

The debut author begins his meditation on vulnerability with a memory of when he was at his most vulnerable and contemplating suicide. From that lowest point, he managed to find a way back to healthy living, and in this book, he reflects on that path, drawing on his own journal entries from the time in order to create a blueprint that others might find helpful. Those entries start in 2014 and are immediately involving, taking readers directly into Anderson’s life with his partner, called C., and their cats—a seemingly happy time. But stressors were already threatening this idyllic existence, and they eventually come to dominate the story. Throughout, Anderson includes a section of a diary entry, such as “I’m often bad at taking time off for myself. Instead I try to do stuff for everyone else and forget about myself, classic Thomas,” and then offers his present-day thoughts on what he was going through: “Prior to this diary entry, I normally had time to myself; I didn’t have to think about and understand the quiet that I needed.” Quickly and steadily, a clear picture emerges of a man paying no attention to his own needs as pressures piled up. In the course of his journey, Anderson sought improvement wherever he could, from cutting added sugar out of his diet to adding exercise and yoga to his routine, and the cumulative effect is touching and intensely relatable. Readers will nod in recognition at such sentiments as “If we don’t dare to feel or face the risk of being hurt, we miss out on so much,” and perhaps learn something from the author’s personal revelations that they can put to good use in their own lives.

A heartfelt look at burnout and recovery.