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  • No Cure for Being Human

  • (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
  • Written by: Kate Bowler
  • Narrated by: Kate Bowler
  • Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (88 ratings)

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No Cure for Being Human

Written by: Kate Bowler
Narrated by: Kate Bowler
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Publisher's Summary

New York Times Best Seller

The best-selling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn’t choose?

“Kate Bowler is the only one we can trust to tell us the truth.” (Glennon Doyle, author of the number one New York Times best seller Untamed)

It’s hard to give up on the feeling that the life you really want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely?

Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered, at age 35, that her body was wracked with cancer. In No Cure for Being Human, she searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of today’s “best life now” advice industry, which insists on exhausting positivity and on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness. We are, she finds, as fragile as the day we were born.

With dry wit and unflinching honesty, Kate Bowler grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with her limitations in a culture that says anything is possible. She finds that we need one another if we’re going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between—and there’s no cure for being human.

©2021 Kate Bowler (P)2021 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“I began reading No Cure for Being Human after dinner one evening and didn’t move until I finished the last gorgeous page. As I finally put this masterpiece down, I thought Kate Bowler is the only one we can trust to tell us the truth. Bowler is a prophet and her new offering is another true gift to the world. This book will open minds and warm hearts.”—Glennon Doyle, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed

“With grace, wisdom, and humor, Kate Bowler encourages us to cut back on self-help Kool-Aid and teaches us what it means to be human.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

“Bowler offers an alternative to the good vibes/prosperity gospel approach: honesty with room for mystery and humor.”The New York Times

What listeners say about No Cure for Being Human

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Not what I thought it would be

I don’t like books that sneak in religious beliefs in general. Therefore I was disappointed from the beginning. It is presented like a memoir. Oddly, I did not feel like it was written with much emotion or humanity. I was expecting more because of the title. All in all there were a couple of passages I enjoyed but sadly I did not learn anything new after listening to this book.

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An Inside experiencial peak thru a Survivors Tale

A Well written journey of A Mother with Cancer & the horrific system in US & CANADA ..

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Honest and eye opening

I loved this book. I thought it was a great read. I also loved how it challenged the way I've previously viewed hardship and my faith.

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Brilliant

If you’ve had a life that has brought on tough questions this book is a beautiful and secure place. A delightful and impactful read.

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a keeper

I loved this book. My son is a few months into his recovery of his own cancer treatments and as I read this it helped me process so much of what we experienced. The commonality of the cancer patient and caretaker world is expressed beautifully in these pages. Thank you Ms. Bowler. I hope to meet you one day. xo

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Hard hitting truth. Body armour required.

difficult to get through but we'll worth it. provide a better understanding of the journey.

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Thank you for this work of art!

I will forever be more careful with my words. Kate truly adds a new perspective to the world and helps us understand life. Her words sound like poetry and I will be listening to them many times until they marinate into my life.

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Healing and Challenging

Kate Bowler’s willingness to share her most challenging and vulnerable season was a balm to my weary soul in this uncertain season. She cracks open her heart and what pours out is raw and honest faith big enough to embrace pain and suffering. Her theological maturity is evident in the moments she deconstructs a health and wealth gospel without leaving us empty handed. A particular gift to anyone examining their own mortality.

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I didn’t want it to end

This book invited us into such a personal journey. I related to it as a person and also as a healthcare professional. I so appreciated Kate’s stories, her ability to draw the picture so fully I felt like I was experiencing it with her at times.
I will likely listen to this again as I wasn’t quite ready for it to be done.

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