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8 best books about failure: Guides to overcoming fear and uncertainty
Learn to embrace your mistakes and get on the path to success with these tomes, from mentalist Derren Brown’s musings to journalist Caitlin Moran’s thoughtful essays
Lydia Wilkins
Monday 07 September 2020 10:56 EDT
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Failure is everywhere. A fact of life, it defines our very existence – enough so that individuals often give TED talks about the very subject.
However, it has become almost akin to a cultural pitstop – with podcasts, books, even courses dedicated to learning about failure.
Journalist Elizabeth Day is now (almost) infamous for her podcast, How To Fail.
Beginning in July 2018, the premise is to celebrate the things that haven’t gone right – complete with guests such as Phoebe Waller Bridge, Adam Pearson, and Dolly Alderton.
This has since spawned niche live events, as well as a spin-off book – with another on its way later this year.
But what are the best books about failure? You should consider this to be the digital table of recommendations you’d find in your local bookshop – as this was the case for yours truly.
We have rounded up the best selection of books that deal with the topic of failure – indirectly or directly – while staying clear of anything that brands itself as “self help”.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
‘How To Fail’ By Elizabeth Day, published by 4th Estate Books
The title that started it all, How To Fail is the book to match the podcast of the same name. Fusing together testimony from podcast guests and her own life, Day weaves together a narrative of how to learn to fail, to succeed better.
Culturally, we have a mindset of failure not being an option – and an example could be how some of us stay late to work at times, ensuring that the groundwork for the next day is already in place. People such as author and podcast host, “Ctrl Alt Delete” Emma Gannon have indirectly written about this – such as with the development of the multi-hyphenate concept.
What makes this book universal – and something we can all relate to – is how Day discloses here own perceived failures – such as when it comes to asking for a pay rise and even miscarriage.
‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ By Matt Haig, published by Canongate
Applauded around the world for the frank discussion of mental health, Reasons to Stay Alive is the book Matt Haig is probably best known for.
Though we have become better in discussing mental health, it can still feel like a stigma is attached to a mental health diagnosis – and therefore, you may feel like a failure for not ostensibly being “strong” enough, or “manly” enough. Sometimes, people may not seek help for this very reason – and this book is a powerful redirection of this disgusting standard.
Matt Haig has also just published a new novel, The Midnight Library.
The verdict: Books about failure
How To Fail by Elizabeth Day is our Best Buy because it has set the standard for books about the subject; it has a universal tone, as well as offering something for everyone.
It also reaches across an age divide – while not preaching – as well as not offering up an unobtainable solution to what a self help book would see as a “problem”.