4.0
Magic Pill
By Johann HariPublisher Description
The bestselling author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus offers a revelatory look at the new drugs transforming weight loss as we know it—from his personal experience on Ozempic to our ability to heal our society’s dysfunctional relationship with food, weight, and our bodies.
In January 2023, Johann Hari started to inject himself once a week with Ozempic, one of the new drugs that produces significant weight loss. He wasn’t alone—some predictions suggest that in a few years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be taking these drugs. While around 80 percent of diets fail, someone taking one of the new drugs will lose up to a quarter of their body weight in six months. To the drugs’ defenders, here is a moment of liberation from a condition that massively increases your chances of diabetes, cancer, and an early death.
Still, Hari was wildly conflicted. Can these drugs really be as good as they sound? Are they a magic solution—or a magic trick? Finding the answer to this high-stakes question led him on a journey from Iceland to Minneapolis to Tokyo, and to interview the leading experts in the world on these questions. He found that along with the drug’s massive benefits come twelve significant potential risks.
He also found that these drugs radically challenge what we think we know about shame, willpower, and healing. What do they reveal about the nature of obesity itself? What psychological issues begin to emerge when our eating patterns are suddenly disrupted? Are the drugs a liberation or a further symptom of our deeply dysfunctional relationship with food?
These drugs are about to change our world, for better and for worse. Everybody needs to understand how they work—scientifically, emotionally, and culturally. Magic Pill is an essential guide to the revolution that has already begun, and which one leading expert argues will be as transformative as the invention of the smartphone.
In January 2023, Johann Hari started to inject himself once a week with Ozempic, one of the new drugs that produces significant weight loss. He wasn’t alone—some predictions suggest that in a few years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be taking these drugs. While around 80 percent of diets fail, someone taking one of the new drugs will lose up to a quarter of their body weight in six months. To the drugs’ defenders, here is a moment of liberation from a condition that massively increases your chances of diabetes, cancer, and an early death.
Still, Hari was wildly conflicted. Can these drugs really be as good as they sound? Are they a magic solution—or a magic trick? Finding the answer to this high-stakes question led him on a journey from Iceland to Minneapolis to Tokyo, and to interview the leading experts in the world on these questions. He found that along with the drug’s massive benefits come twelve significant potential risks.
He also found that these drugs radically challenge what we think we know about shame, willpower, and healing. What do they reveal about the nature of obesity itself? What psychological issues begin to emerge when our eating patterns are suddenly disrupted? Are the drugs a liberation or a further symptom of our deeply dysfunctional relationship with food?
These drugs are about to change our world, for better and for worse. Everybody needs to understand how they work—scientifically, emotionally, and culturally. Magic Pill is an essential guide to the revolution that has already begun, and which one leading expert argues will be as transformative as the invention of the smartphone.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities17 Reviews
4.0
Kevin Schaeffer
Created 10 days agoShare
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Gigi🦔
Created 10 days agoShare
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“A deep dive into the obesity epidemic, our current lifestyle and the new ‘miracle’ weight loss drugs. Thought-provoking well-balanced research with personal anecdotes from the author that enrich the book.”
Thought-provoking
Jasilyn Heaps
Created 17 days agoShare
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“Johann Hari's writing is always nuanced and thought-provoking. This book was no exception! The way he layered his complex understanding with personal anecdotes was masterfully done. I highly recommend it!”
Nospoilers
Created 26 days agoShare
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“As someone who knows a lot about naturopathic medicines, and healthy eating/lifestyle in general, I still found this book an absolute eye opener. While most of the research revolves around Hari's interest in Ozempic, this can't be done without a look at our food culture (and history), and where our current state of health as a society has brought us. Totally fascinating (and obviously horrifying!) FOOD IS MEDICINE!!”Realistic settingHeartbreakingThought-provokingSelf-harm
Lindsay Neeley
Created about 1 month agoShare
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About Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a writer and journalist. He has written for The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, and other newspapers. His TED Talks have been viewed over 70 million times, and his work has been praised by a broad range of people, from Oprah Winfrey to Noam Chomsky to Joe Rogan. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus.
Other books by Johann Hari
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