Sr Joan finds it easier to describe what happiness is not rather than what it is. Yet her book is a fascinating and comprehensive examination of many dimensions of happiness, exploring what it might mean in a global age, defining it as a process, as a brain function and as a goal while also considering the differences between pleasure and happiness... in psychology, philosophy and major faith traditions. Her meditative and discursive style supports her conclusion that there is no simple definition: finding happiness requires an involved and involving journey; it is always deeply personal, inextricably bound up with relationships. It is, at its core, a necessary part of what it means to be alive.