Олена Савінова Book order (chronological)

Think of the quirky traditions that you keep up with your friends. Or the unusual ways that you and your family mark special occasions. Or the gifts that your partner gives - and what you'd think if they'd bought the same for an ex. These are rituals- practices that are imbued with symbolic meaning. And they have the power to turn black-and-white moments into technicolour. Along the way, Norton shares stories from sporting superstars (Serena Williams always bouncing the ball five times before her first serve), million-dollar companies (Zipcar urging staff to destroy their old desktops with sledgehammers) and ordinary people (inventing their own \"ritual signatures\"), who reimagine everyday moments, build camaraderie, and spark joy. Rituals can help us to forge winning teams, heal families experiencing grief and encourage us rise to challenges, big or small. Now it's time to create yours.

A must-read for all parents, this generation-defining investigation delves into the collapse of youth mental health amid the rise of smartphones, social media, and big tech, while offering a plan for a healthier childhood. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt reveals how adolescent mental health, stable for over a decade, sharply declined in the early 2010s, with rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide more than doubling. He explores the reasons behind this epidemic, examining the decline of play-based childhoods since the 1980s and the emergence of phone-based experiences. Haidt identifies over a dozen mechanisms through which this transformation has disrupted children’s social and neurological development, including sleep deprivation, addiction, loneliness, and perfectionism. He highlights the disproportionate impact of social media on girls and the troubling trend of boys retreating into virtual worlds. Most importantly, Haidt calls for action, diagnosing the collective challenges we face and proposing four simple rules to address them. He outlines steps that parents, educators, tech companies, and governments can take to combat the mental health crisis and foster a more humane childhood. His insights are crucial for protecting children from the psychological harms of a phone-centric life.