Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING

January 3, 2022
Former reporter and actor Kanzer delivers insightful interpretations of her favorite verses of the Tao Te Ching in her enlightening debut. Each chapter begins with a passage of the Tao that Kanzer unpacks using anecdotes from her life, having grown up in the Soviet Union before moving with her family to Brooklyn at age eight and later spending years in a fruitless pursuit of Hollywood fame. In the opening chapter, for instance, Kanzer examines the Tao Te Ching’s mutable conception of identity by recounting how students in the U.S. mocked her birth name, Asya, causing her to change it to Jessie. Elsewhere, she proffers advice on practicing self-control, repudiating material goods, embracing happiness over ambition, and “chilling the f*ck out,” routinely arriving at prescriptive conclusions for leading a more deliberate and relaxed life. Each chapter concludes with “Do Your Tao” exercises for taking a quiet moment to observe and contemplate. Kanzer’s appealing, no-nonsense style and cheerful illustrations evoke a sense of understanding, fulfillment, and trust. Stressed-out readers will find her advice a salve in an overly hurried and critical world. Agent: Lisa Hagan, Paraview Literary Agency.