âEucatastropheâ is a powerful, real-life creative non-fiction that chronicles Josh Bottomlyâs extraordinary journey of overcoming a life-threatening illness. In this heartfelt narrative, Josh shares how he faced a crisis that almost claimed his life, only to emerge stronger and more vibrant. His story is filled with humor, deep insights, and a renewed passion for living. Eucatastrophe explores themes of resilience, the importance of love, and the profound impact of storytelling. This isnât just a creative non-fiction; itâs a testament to the healing power of language and the transformative nature of personal struggles. Through his experience, Josh invites readers to embrace lifeâs challenges and live more fully. His triumph over adversity offers inspiration and hope for anyone facing difficult circumstances. Eucatastrophe encourages us all to find meaning in lifeâs setbacks and to never stop seeking joy. Through his journey, Josh teaches us how to live better, love better, and feel more alive. A must-read for anyone looking for a story of hope, healing, and transformation.
Joshâs creative nonfiction uniquely blends storytelling with theology, philosophy, psychology, literature, neuroscience, and popular culture.
âEucatastropheâ is a powerful, real-life creative non-fiction that chronicles Josh Bottomlyâs extraordinary journey of overcoming a life-threatening illness. In this heartfelt narrative, Josh shares how he faced a crisis that almost claimed his life, only to emerge stronger and more vibrant. His story is filled with humor, deep insights, and a renewed passion for living. Eucatastrophe explores themes of resilience, the importance of love, and the profound impact of storytelling. This isnât just a creative non-fiction; itâs a testament to the healing power of language and the transformative nature of personal struggles. Through his experience, Josh invites readers to embrace lifeâs challenges and live more fully. His triumph over adversity offers inspiration and hope for anyone facing difficult circumstances. Eucatastrophe encourages us all to find meaning in lifeâs setbacks and to never stop seeking joy. Through his journey, Josh teaches us how to live better, love better, and feel more alive. A must-read for anyone looking for a story of hope, healing, and transformation.
Joshâs creative nonfiction uniquely blends storytelling with theology, philosophy, psychology, literature, neuroscience, and popular culture.
We know more about string theory, dark matter, and wormholes in space than we do about our brains. The brain is the last and grandest biological frontier, more intricate than Japanâs Fugakuâthe supercomputer of all supercomputers. Thatâs why our minds are both unique and deeply mysterious. They function in ways we canât fully comprehend. And they falter in ways we canât entirely understand.
While we share some common brain experiences, theyâre never exactly the same. Words like depression and general anxiety disorder are like motorcycle handles we can all grip, but the ride itself is experienced differently for each of us.
Depression wears many faces. It manifests differently for everyone, with pain felt in varied ways and degrees across the gray matter of our brains. To that end, if books had to perfectly replicate our personal experiences to have any value, the only books worth reading would be written by our own blood.
Thereâs no ârightâ or âwrongâ way to experience depression, panic attack, or suicidal ideation.
These things simply are. Pain, like Pilates, is not a competitive sport.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, We read to know we are not alone. I believe that to be truer now than ever. All good booksâat least the ones worth their saltâare, in some way, about ourselves. When Iâve read stories of others who have weathered the storm and lived to see land again, Iâve found comfort. The stories have given me hope.
I am a shameless The Lord of the Rings nerd. My wife and son never miss an opportunity to poke fun at my hobbit-like quirks. Last summer, I took them on a tour of the deer trails behind Magdalen College at Oxford. As we walked, I regaled them with tales of how J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis once strolled these same trails as friends, sharing early drafts of their great works of fiction.
They were over it in five minutes. Hot, sweaty, and ready for ice cream, they quickly tuned me out.
For fifteen years, Iâve taught a college-level seminar on The Lord of the Rings. As a precursor to our study, I like to draw my studentsâ attention to a moment in The Hobbit that has always been my favorite.
In this scene, Bilbo, Gandlaf, and the dwarves are pinned down by Goblins and Wargs. Their situation seems utterly hopeless. Suddenly, a great squadron of eagles, led by Gwaihir, breaks through the clouds and swoops in to rescue them from certain death.
âLook, Gandalf!â cried Bilbo. âThe eagles are coming.â
At the heart of this book is a simple theme:
Bad things happen.
Hold on.
The eagles are coming.
Josh Bottomly is a successful educator, coach, and family man. Heâs recently received a promotion at work. He has a loving spouse and son at home. Things seem to be going exceedingly well. Until he finds himself becoming increasingly unwell. Before long, the author is in the isolating embrace of an existential crisis leading to a mental breakdown. Eucatastrophe is the story of his descent into and through the mire, and his uplifting and life-affirming journey to recovery.
In the first chapter, Bottomly explains the word eucatastrophe as a concept originally introduced by J.R.R. Tolkien that literally means âgood calamity.â Which is the best title I could have imagined for his story. Bottomly is knowledgeable in many subjects, and well-versed at disseminating valuable information in concise, relatable, imaginative, and entertaining ways. Heâs a teacher, after all. A lot like that one teacher who managed to make class interesting for you back in the day. If you werenât lucky enough to have that teacher (shout out to Mr. Ferris, wherever you are), these pages will give you an idea of what you were missing.
What I really appreciated about this book was its unstuffiness, coupled with the way it illuminates the darkness while continually leaning into the light. The amount of vulnerability that Bottomly exhibits is both refreshening and endearing without tipping into self-pity. This is a human who went through some serious mental sh*t and came out the other side intact with humility, humanity, and the literary and media references to make you laugh and think and feel like youâre not alone in your darkest moments. That there is always hope in the present if you can be present. He's not telling you how great you are, but sharing his story and what heâs learned from it along the way.
These concise chapters are ripe with references from sitcoms, cinema, fiction, sports, and music alongside observations from visionaries like Joseph Campbell, Virginia Woolf, Carl Jung, and Victor Frankl. And this isnât to say that Bottomly leans on pop culture (or others' words) as a form of deflection. Just the opposite. At some point in my reading, I began to realize why the pop culture references throughout are so fitting. Because they are already relatable areas in which we release tension. I also believe they are ancillary windows into Bottomlyâs psyche. And, furthermore, into ours. The way that everything that means anything manifests into something somewhere inside us.
This is a book for people who want to be their best selves. And people who donât have the energy to be their best selves. This is a book for people. Itâs a roadmap highlighted with alternative routes to lead us back to being more tuned in to ourselves and those we love. Because Bottomly shows us who he is, even the parts he is ashamed of, we walk through his story with him. And, I believe, are the better for it.