Man Fast

Eat Pray Love Reimagined

Part-memoir, part self-exploration, The Man Fast tells the story of how a year of intensive searching for 'the one' and a series of terrible and unsatisfying dates resulted in the author's desperate need for a man fast - a highly beneficial, self-imposed man-free adventure in self-discovery.

Any cute boys? Natasha Scripture's 64-year-old Indian mother wants to know. Once again, Natasha finds herself explaining that it is not easy to find a husband while serving as a relief worker in refugee camps, war zones and natural disaster areas.

Yet returning to New York, still reeling from the sudden death of her father, Natasha realizes that no matter how many dates she goes on, she is no closer to finding that special someone to fill the imaginary void inside her. Exasperated by her search for love, she embarks on a 'man fast', where she stops looking for a relationship and instead turns inward to explore the question at the heart of her anxiety: what is her purpose?

This soul-searching takes her deep into the wilderness: from meditating in an Ayurvedic ashram in southern India to toiling on a vineyard on Mount Etna to going on a solo-safari in southern Tanzania (where she also marries herself-yes, it's a thing).

In stepping away from the demands of modern life and societal pressure to couple up, Natasha finds a space where she allows herself to become fully present and awake: to her grief, to her identity, and to love as a mystical, ever-present force.

This is a book to inspire readers who also want to discover their truest, wildest, most empowered selves.

Natasha Scripture is an author, poet, activist and former aid worker. As a spokesperson for the United Nations, Natasha covered humanitarian crises around the world, including conflicts and natural disasters in Ethiopia, Haiti, Libya, and Pakistan. Before the UN, she worked as a writer, producer and editor for a variety of organisations, including the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera English, TED, National Geographic and Conde Nast Publications. She has also contributed to the New York Times and The Atlantic, among other publications. Natasha has a Masters of Science in Gender and Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Bachelors degree from New York University. While a native of Washington D.C., Natasha has lived in several different countries and travels frequently.

Man Fast: How one woman's dating detox turned into a spiritual reckoning across four continents
Hachette Australia
Author: Natasha Scripture
ISBN: 9780349412467
RRP: $32.99