Skip to main content
close
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.

Author Talk: The Age of Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell

Virtual Event

2025-01-23 11:00:00 2025-01-23 12:00:00 America/Los_Angeles Author Talk: The Age of Magical Overthinking 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. Virtual Program -

Thursday, January 23
11:00am - 12:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-01-23 11:00:00 2025-01-23 12:00:00 America/Los_Angeles Author Talk: The Age of Magical Overthinking 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. Virtual Program -

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! 

About the Author: Amanda Montell is a writer and linguist from Baltimore. She is the author of the acclaimed books Wordslut, Cultish, and The Age of Magical Overthinking. Along with hosting the podcast Sounds Like a Cult, her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, and more. She holds a degree in linguistics from NYU and lives in Los Angeles with her partner, plants, and pets. Find her on Instagram @Amanda_Montel

Virtual Program


Hours
Mon, Jul 07 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Tue, Jul 08 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Wed, Jul 09 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Thu, Jul 10 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Fri, Jul 11 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jul 12 7:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 13 7:00AM to 6:00PM

About the branch

This is a virtual location. No events are held at this address.

Upcoming events

Tue, Jul 08, 11:00am - 11:30am
Acompaña al autor e ilustrador Raúl the Third mientras nos habla de su libro ¡Vamos! ¡A leer! Conoce a Lobito y sus amigos mientras exploran el Festival del Libro Love de su biblioteca.
Register

Tue, Jul 08, 1:00pm - 1:30pm
Join author and illustrator Raúl The Third as he discusses his book ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read!. Meet Little Lobo and friends as they explore their library's Libro Love Book Festival!
Register

Tue, Jul 15, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Frustrated with the fundamentals of Microsoft Word? Join us for an easy-to-follow class that covers all the basics. Learn practical skills for writing letters, formatting resumes, and drafting meeting agendas to bring order to your work. For adults.
Register

Thu, Jul 17, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Explore the intricate world of Legend with Marie Lu as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Explore the depths of deceit, battle for power, and the lengths characters will go to unmask the Truth.
Register

Tue, Jul 22, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Join Doug Frankel a long-time meditator as he discusses how meditation can help reduce stress. He will also present a simple, time-tested, ancient, and effective meditation technique. There will be a short meditation sitting as well.  
Register

Wed, Jul 23, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Join award-winning author Rex Ogle as he discuses his book Free Lunch where he talks about his struggles to navigate sixth grade as a poor kid in a wealthy school district signed up for the free meal program.
Register

Wed, Jul 23, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Overwhelmed about Artificial Intelligence? Learn the basics about AI and how to use the different tools that are available online. This is first of a series of four workshops.
Register

Tue, Jul 29, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Feeling stuck as a Microsoft Word beginner? This class is for you! Follow along as we expertly break down the tasks of creating a flyer, generating a mass mailer, and collaborating on a complex document. For adults.
Register

Wed, Jul 30, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
The Dept. of Economic Opportunity provides entrepreneurs with helpful information on the start-up process in Los Angeles County, including the steps to open your business, commonly required permits, licenses, and other free resources.
Register

Thu, Jul 31, 11:00am - 12:00pm
You’re invited to a conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric, that looks at the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us.
Register

Thu, Jul 31, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
El Dept. de Oportunidades Económicas le ofrecerá información útil sobre el proceso de empezar un negocio en el condado de Los Ángeles, incluyendo pasos para abrir su negocio, permisos, licencias comúnmente requeridos y recursos gratuitos.
Register