Self-Made

Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians

Contributors

By Tara Isabella Burton

Read by Patricia Santomasso

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Jun 27, 2023
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781668628423

Price

$27.99

Format

Format:

  1. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $27.99
  2. ebook $18.99 $24.99 CAD
  3. Hardcover $30.00 $38.00 CAD

 An exploration into the curation of the self in Western civilization from Da Vinci to Kim Kardashian.

In a technologically-saturated era where nearly everything can be effortlessly and digitally reproduced, we’re all hungry to carve out our own unique personalities, our own bespoke personae, to stand out and be seen. As the forces of social media and capitalism collide, and individualism becomes more important than ever across a wide array of industries,  “branding ourselves” or actively defining our selves for others has become the norm. Yet, this phenomenon is not new. In Self-Made, Tara Isabella Burton shows us how we arrived at this moment of fervent personal-branding.

As attitudes towards religion, politics and society evolved, our sense of self did as well, moving from a collective to individual mindset. Through a series of chronological biographical essays on famous (and infamous) “self-creators” in the modern Western world, from the Renassiance to the Enlightenment to modern capitalism and finally to our present moment of mass media, Burton examines the theories and forces behind our never-ending need to curate ourselves. Through a vivid cast of characters and an engaging mix of cultural and historical commentary, we learn how the personal brand has come to be. 
 

Tara Isabella Burton

About the Author

Tara Isabella Burton is the author of the nonfiction books Strange Rites and Self-Made, and the novels Here in AvalonThe World Cannot Give, and Social Creature, which was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York TimesVulture, and The Guardian. She has written on religion and secularism for National Geographic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and more, and holds a doctorate in theology from Oxford. She also co-writes the Substack newsletter “Line of Beauty” with her husband.
 

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