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Orion Spring has pre-empted a guide about the danger of “toxic positivity” from therapist and Instagram star Whitney Goodman.
Publishing director Pippa Wright pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy from Sandy Hodgman at Hodgman Literary on behalf of Laura Lee Mattingly at Present Perfect. Toxic Positivity will be released as a royal trade paperback, published in January 2022 alongside Tarcher Perigee in the US.
The synopsis reads: “Every day, we're bombarded with pressure to be positive. From ‘good vibes only’ and ‘life is good’ memes, to endless advice to ‘look on the bright side,’ we're constantly told that the key to happiness is silencing negativity wherever it crops up, in ourselves and in others.
“In this refreshingly honest guide, sought-after therapist Whitney Goodman shares the latest research along with everyday examples and client stories that reveal how damaging toxic positivity is to ourselves and our relationships. She presents simple ways to experience and work through difficult emotions. The result is more authenticity, connection, and growth and, ultimately, a path to showing up as you truly are.”
Goodman is a psychotherapist based in Miami, Florida, behind the popular Instagram account @sitwithwhit, which boasts around 400,000 followers. Her work has been featured in dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Teen Vogue, NY Magazine and InStyle.
She said “Even when life gets hard, we are constantly bombarded with the pressure to be positive and happy. I wanted to write a book about positivity and happiness that is unlike any other book on these topics. In Toxic Positivity, I weave together the latest research with client stories to reveal how damaging toxic positivity is. I hope everyone who reads this book learns how to validate their emotions, support the people around them, and how to live a meaningful life.”
Wright commented: “As soon as I saw this brilliant proposal it articulated everything that had been troubling me about the relentless tyranny of ‘good vibes only’. Whitney isn’t afraid to challenge our assumptions about what it takes to find true connection with ourselves and others. This will be an important conversation-starting book, and we can’t wait to publish it on Orion Spring.”