Read this when
Autobiography of John Stuart Mill
The original gifted-kid burnout: 1826, age 20, asks himself if achieving all his goals would make him happy. The answer was no.
Who it's for
Mill is not a sufferer anyone would expect: a prodigy trained intensively by his father from early childhood, admired and productive, who at 20 suddenly finds none of it means anything.
Feelings it meets
What it is
John Stuart Mill's Autobiography, published posthumously in 1873, traces his life and intellectual development, beginning with the intensive education his father, James Mill, started when he was three.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1873, English); free on Project Gutenberg and online (chapter 5 is on the UT Austin political-theory site). In print (Penguin Classics) and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); free v.
Before you start
Heads up: Prolonged despair and hopelessness.
Age: Ages 16+
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Friendship”
