Being

Name: Being
Brand: Allen & Unwin
Price: 33.75 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

Why it's harder to be human than a hamster or a herring

By: Rachel E. Menzies, Ross G. Menzies

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Paperback | 30 June 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
384 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.3

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$33.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $8.44 with

Available: 30th June 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

How to find meaning in a world that offers no certainty about its existence, from the award-winning authors of Mortals.

Being human is hard.

From early childhood, we start to become aware of the difficulties we must all inevitably face. We will battle an inner critic across the entirety of our life. We will never truly know those around us and time will destroy all we create. Death becomes a reality, and we cannot escape the knowledge that it is coming for us all. These are the problems of being; the existential truths that make it harder to be human than a hamster or a herring.

Many other problems emerge from the knowledge of our own mortality. How do we find meaning, choose a life path, form an identity, face uncertainty, cope with hardship and, ultimately, bear the loss of all we love? How do we make peace with the inner voice that won't stop attacking the choices we've made and the opportunities we've missed? How do we deal with the uncertain and unpredictable nature of the world and our future?

In this book, daughter-father psychologists Rachel E. Menzies and Ross G. Menzies explore what it means to be human, and our shared need for love, meaning and self-understanding. They highlight the power of hope, the role of purpose in wellbeing, and how acceptance is key to a more authentic and joyful life.

This is the beauty of being.

'This book turns existential dread into existential clarity. Wise words on living life to the full.' Professor David Veale, Kings College London

'Few books capture so powerfully the paradox of being human: that self-awareness both elevates us and unsettles us. Being is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand anxiety, identity, and the shadow of mortality.' Professor Thomas Heidenreich, Esslingen University

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