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How to Lose Yourself Completely
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Overview
A teen grappling with grief and anxiety is sent to wilderness "adventure therapy," where he meets a group of friends--and a girl from his past--who will change his life forever. With its captivating voice, this novel is perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and John Green.
Ever since Sean's death, Case's anxiety has been spiraling. Sean wasn't just his older brother--he was also Case's best friend. The only person who really got him.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781250409348
- ISBN-10: 1250409349
- Publisher: Balzer & Bray
- Publish Date: June 2026
- Dimensions: 8.48 x 5.61 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.92 pounds
- Page Count: 352
- Reading Level: Ages 14-18
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In the acknowledgements section of his luminous and powerful How to Lose Yourself Completely, award-winning author Peter Bognanni writes that since being diagnosed with anxiety disorder at age 18, “I’ve been working almost every day to keep my defiant and melodramatic brain from ruining a perfectly good time on earth.”
The narrator of How to Lose Yourself Completely, Case, has been experiencing immense grief and worsening anxiety in the months since his older brother Sean’s death. At his worried parents’ behest, he’s joined an “Adventure Therapy” program in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. There will be no phone service, no electricity and no people other than his fellow travelers and their guide, Silas.
To Case’s shock, his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Diana, whom he’s been avoiding since Sean’s funeral, is also present. Another shock: The group soon finds itself canoeing toward wild river rapids while Silas tells the terrified teens, “Control is an illusion. . . . Sometimes you just have to let the current take you.” To which one of Case’s compatriots responds, “I REALLY HATE METAPHORS!”
Alas, the teens have no choice but to heed the metaphor when Silas disappears with their medications and the lone map. Their only hope for survival is a grueling multi-day hike to a drop point where food and supplies await. Through the days and miles, they build trust even as their situation grows increasingly dire. Bognanni’s suspenseful and compelling story will have readers wondering along with Clay: Can he and Diana bridge the gap between them? Can the group survive everything Mother Nature is throwing at them? If they do, what happens after—are their ties circumstantial, or are they true friends?
This dramatic and exciting coming-of-age tale’s characters are authentic, and their emotional journeys moving. Bognanni’s empathetic exploration of the ways in which anxiety influences and affects daily life offers inspiration and hope for those who, like Case, “want more than anything to feel better.”
In the acknowledgements section of his luminous and powerful How to Lose Yourself Completely, award-winning author Peter Bognanni writes that since being diagnosed with anxiety disorder at age 18, “I’ve been working almost every day to keep my defiant and melodramatic brain from ruining a perfectly good time on earth.”
The narrator of How to Lose Yourself Completely, Case, has been experiencing immense grief and worsening anxiety in the months since his older brother Sean’s death. At his worried parents’ behest, he’s joined an “Adventure Therapy” program in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. There will be no phone service, no electricity and no people other than his fellow travelers and their guide, Silas.
To Case’s shock, his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Diana, whom he’s been avoiding since Sean’s funeral, is also present. Another shock: The group soon finds itself canoeing toward wild river rapids while Silas tells the terrified teens, “Control is an illusion. . . . Sometimes you just have to let the current take you.” To which one of Case’s compatriots responds, “I REALLY HATE METAPHORS!”
Alas, the teens have no choice but to heed the metaphor when Silas disappears with their medications and the lone map. Their only hope for survival is a grueling multi-day hike to a drop point where food and supplies await. Through the days and miles, they build trust even as their situation grows increasingly dire. Bognanni’s suspenseful and compelling story will have readers wondering along with Clay: Can he and Diana bridge the gap between them? Can the group survive everything Mother Nature is throwing at them? If they do, what happens after—are their ties circumstantial, or are they true friends?
This dramatic and exciting coming-of-age tale’s characters are authentic, and their emotional journeys moving. Bognanni’s empathetic exploration of the ways in which anxiety influences and affects daily life offers inspiration and hope for those who, like Case, “want more than anything to feel better.”