The Age of Insecurity

Coming Together as Things Fall Apart

Astra Taylor author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:House of Anansi Press Ltd ,Canada

Published:19th Oct '23

Should be back in stock very soon

The Age of Insecurity cover

This insightful book examines the roots of societal insecurity and advocates for a transformative approach to security and well-being in The Age of Insecurity.

In The Age of Insecurity, author and activist Astra Taylor delves into the pervasive feelings of insecurity that grip society today. With financial stress and emotional turmoil affecting countless individuals, Taylor questions the effectiveness of the current social order. She argues that the systems designed to provide stability often contribute to our collective unease, leaving even those who seem to have it all feeling vulnerable.

The book offers a compelling examination of how various crises—such as rising inequality, declining mental health, and environmental emergencies—are interconnected and stem from a foundation built on insecurity. Taylor critiques institutions like home ownership, education, and even the wellness industry, revealing how they may actually exacerbate our fears rather than alleviate them.

By blending social critique, memoir, history, and political analysis, The Age of Insecurity invites readers to rethink their understanding of security. Taylor encourages us to confront our vulnerabilities and embrace a more inclusive approach to safety and well-being. Through this transformative lens, she outlines a path toward creating a more caring society that can effectively navigate the challenges we face. Ultimately, this book is not just a diagnosis of our current state but also a call to action for meaningful change.

"Taylor makes the case for clearing away capitalism’s distracting, destabilising regime; Keltner for expanding and more clearly valuing our connections to each other, to our own depths and capacities, and to the grandeur and order of the world beyond." — New Statesman


"A handbook for a new way forward." — Literary Review of Canada


"Astra Taylor’s The Age of Insecurity made me feel I understood something obvious that I had overlooked before ... that we on the left can (and need to) offer a different, better conception of security." — Current Affairs


"Taylor asks us to contemplate a better world … This ethic of insecurity, collectivism and egalitarianism should be on the forefront of every educator’s mind." — Winnipeg Free Press


"The ideas that Taylor puts forth are not only radical, but world changing … The Age of Insecurity is exactly the right book at exactly the right time. That time is now." — The Tyee


"The Age of Insecurity doesn’t tackle those challenging questions. What it does, instead, is explain why our world hardly allows them to be posed and hardly gives us the breathing space to think about them. It is, yes, a readable and insightful analysis of our present. But we have a lot of those—maybe too many. What makes this book worth the reader’s time is its idiosyncratic blend of the personal and the public, the emotional and the economic." — Commonweal Magazine


"A must-read." — Peace News

  • Commended for CBC 2023 Best Canadian Nonfiction 2023 (Canada)
  • Short-listed for Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing 2024 (Canada)
  • Short-listed for Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction 2024 (Canada)

ISBN: 9781487011932

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 353g

352 pages