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Virtual Author Talk with Amanda Montell

Location: Virtual

2025-01-23 14:00:00 2025-01-23 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk with Amanda Montell Join us as we chat with the New York Times bestselling author, Amanda Montell about her newest book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality.  Bridgeport Public Library -

Thursday, January 23
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-01-23 14:00:00 2025-01-23 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk with Amanda Montell Join us as we chat with the New York Times bestselling author, Amanda Montell about her newest book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality.  Bridgeport Public Library -

Join us as we chat with the New York Times bestselling author, Amanda Montell about her newest book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality. 

Join us as we chat with the New York Times bestselling author, Amanda Montell about her newest book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality. 

In a delicious blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking, Amanda Montell now turns her erudite eye to the inner workings of the human mind and its biases in her most personal and electrifying work yet.

“Magical thinking” can be broadly defined as the belief that one’s internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: think of the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty, stave off cancer with positive vibes, thwart the apocalypse by learning to can their own peaches, or transform an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one with loyalty alone. In all its forms, magical thinking works in service of restoring agency amid chaos, but in The Age of Magical Overthinking, Montell argues that in the modern information age, our brain’s coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to an eleven.

In a series of razor sharp, deeply funny chapters, Montell delves into a cornucopia of the cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the “halo effect” cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities, to how the “sunk cost fallacy” can keep us in detrimental relationships long after we’ve realized they’re not serving us. As she illuminates these concepts with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell’s prevailing message is one of hope, empathy, and ultimately forgiveness for our anxiety-addled human selves. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason, Montell aims to make some sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds, and let a warm breeze in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while, or even hear a melody in it. 

Don't be irrational, register now for a conversation you just don’t want to miss! 

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Miscellaneous |

Bridgeport Public Library

library@bridgeportwv.gov
Phone: 304-842-8248

Hours

Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 03 11:00AM to 7:00PM
Tue, Feb 04 11:00AM to 7:00PM
Wed, Feb 05 11:00AM to 7:00PM
Thu, Feb 06 11:00AM to 7:00PM
Fri, Feb 07 11:00AM to 7:00PM
Sat, Feb 08 11:00AM to 2:00PM
Sun, Feb 09 Closed

Address
1200 Johnson Avenue
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Tel: 304-842-8248

About the branch

The Bridgeport Public Library is located in Bridgeport, WV. The City of Bridgeport began providing financial support for the library in the mid-1970s. The library was then located on the top floor of the Benedum Civic Center on Main Street. In 1994 the citizens and businesses of Bridgeport raised over 1.3 million dollars to purchase and renovate the Allstate Insurance building on Johnson Avenue. It then became the Bridgeport Public Library. The library offers a variety of services and resources including books, eBooks, audiobooks, movies, music, magazines, online databases, and more!

Upcoming events

Tue, Feb 04, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 04, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 04, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 05, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Thu, Feb 06, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 06, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 06, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 06, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 07, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 07, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 10, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 10, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 10, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 10, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 11, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 11, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 11, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 11, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 12, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 12, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 12, 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Thu, Feb 13, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 13, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 14, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 14, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Mon, Feb 17, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Mon, Feb 17, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Mon, Feb 17, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 18, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 18, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 18, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 19, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 19, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 19, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 19, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Thu, Feb 20, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 20, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 20, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 20, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 21, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 21, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 24, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 24, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Mon, Feb 24, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 25, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 25, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Tue, Feb 25, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 26, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Feb 26, 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Cancelled
Thu, Feb 27, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 27, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 27, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Feb 27, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Fri, Feb 28, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Wed, Mar 05, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library

Thu, Mar 06, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Bridgeport Public Library