What causes some people to devote their lives to an impossible quest? From hopeless candidates who keep running for office to NASA explorers trying to discover proof of alien life, this is a fascinating book from Canadian journalist Mark Medley who spent five years traveling the world to interview people who knew they were on an impossible quest … yet chose to continue it anyway. He describes his motivation for the book this way:
“My interest is not scientific but human. What makes someone strive for something—in many cases the thing they want more than anything else—knowing they’ll only be disappointed in the end? Why would someone devote their life to a dream they know will be impossible, or at least very unlikely, to achieve?”
These are the stories of people who choose not to give up even when the world tells them there is no point to their passion. If there is a truth to be found in this sort of dedication, Medley does his best to uncover it. First published just a few weeks ago, it’s a brilliant read for the new year that might just inspire you to keep going on with that thing you love—no matter what anyone else tells you.
About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:
Every week I share a new “non-obvious” book selection. Titles featured here may be new or classic books, but the date of publication doesn’t really matter. My goal is to elevate great reads that perhaps deserve a second look which you might have otherwise missed.