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  • Sane New World

  • Taming the Mind
  • By: Ruby Wax
  • Narrated by: Ruby Wax
  • Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (967 ratings)

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Sane New World

By: Ruby Wax
Narrated by: Ruby Wax
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Summary

Ruby Wax - comedian, writer and mental health campaigner - shows us how our minds can jeopardize our sanity. With her own periods of depression and now a Masters from Oxford in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy to draw from, she explains how our busy, chattering, self-critical thoughts drive us to anxiety and stress.

If we are to break the cycle, we need to understand how our brains work, rewire our thinking and find calm in a frenetic world.

Helping you become the master, not the slave, of your mind, here is the manual to saner living.

©2013 Waxworks Ltd (P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton
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Critic reviews

"Ruby Wax has an extraordinary mind, and she has brought it to bear with trademark wit and searing honesty on the subject of that mind, and the minds of all us. Very few will be able to read this wonderful contribution to the literature of mental health without recognising some part of themselves, and certainly of someone they know. A ruby beyond price" (Stephen Fry)
"In Sane New World, Wax touches upon her own anxieties and fears with honesty and humour...it royally hauls a stigmatised fact of life kicking and laughing into the open." ( The Times)

What listeners say about Sane New World

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Great Book

Would you listen to Sane New World again? Why?

Yes it was informative, engaging and helped me a lot when I was feeling down it even managed to make me smile.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

I am not very sciencey so I got lost a few times but perhaps that is because I didn't give the book my full focus which once you listen, you will discover the irony. I really enjoyed it and will listen again. Recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

loved it! educational and entertaining! would highly recommend it to anyone. so fun to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Book to live by

My bible

Live you're life again....

The end is the door but the beginning is the key so listen to the whole book more than once to take it in.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I liked this. Honest and entertaining.

What did you like most about Sane New World?

Well written and narrated, coming from a place of pain and honesty by the author.

What other book might you compare Sane New World to, and why?

It is a first person experience, but it mirrors a lot of things I read about in "The Road Less Travelled" (that one was written from the point of view of the psychologist)

What about Ruby Wax’s performance did you like?

Humourous, entertaining, raw and honest.

Any additional comments?

For those of us living in a stressed and busy world - have a listen. I liked this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant and funny

The end sums it all up wonderfully. This is a very thought provoking book, explaining complex issues in a very understandable form.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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amazing

loved it. i needed this in my life. im gonna listen to it again now haha. cant wait highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best self help book ever!

I have read and listened to so many self help books and I am quite a spiritual person. This book hit me deeper than I expected! It helped me understand the science of my brain in a way that my overly creative (and less mathematical) mind could comprehend and made me understand WHY mindful practices help me and my body. I used to let outside circumstance and my emotions control me until I read this book. I now understand what’s going on chemically and how I can handle, change and shift any obstacles life may throw at me! And I’m super sensitive, I feel I have finally been given the key to contentment! Thank you Ruby Wax!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best audiobook to date

Would you listen to Sane New World again? Why?

I would listen to this again and again, not just because it's insightful and funny, but because the content is so well written and expressed. The chapters are broken down into short concise elements that will either have you laughing or contemplating on hours to come. If you are at all interested in science, have a sense of humour or are just curious about the human mind (and how it can go wrong!), this is for you.

What did you like best about this story?

The way you can relate to Ruby's past either judgementally or empathically. She has many short stories which help depict the struggle many people face with anxiety or depression with a human face. It helps to be able to laugh through the problems as they come and realise that anyone can use the techniques and theory described here.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scene with Richard E grant and the shark cage - the point when you take stock of things and realise your time in spotlight may have dimmed. The way she is openly descriptive of shamelessly wanting to hang on to celebrity at any cost. To be open an honest like this from someone who I had some fairly fixed opinions on before downloading the audiobook was fantastic. Ruby may have single-handily made me avoid owning a Vauxhall in the 1990's (remember that Corsa advert !), but she has a warmth and honesty about her life story that is impossible to put down.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Expressing her view towards her family and attention towards her children looking back. This was the most moving part of the book for me

Any additional comments?

The last 15 minutes of the book made me pull over, zip back and listen to it again with a deep sense contentment. Most people who are looking for a few answers have probably downloaded other CBT or self-help books in an effort to find some answers.
For me, this book has been the first piece of material that has helped me find some peace. Thank you Ruby.

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27 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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She’s just brilliant.

Changed my thought process and educated me ! Whenever I feel like I’m going crazy I’ll put on her audiobooks and feel straight at home. Ruby you’re great.

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