The rhetoric of freedom, which today often turns into a radical and sometimes threatening call or is limited to attention to fleeting “moments of liberation,” is both fascinating and frightening. Does freedom remain the key to independence, justice and prosperity, or is its finest hour already drawing to a close? Does the obsession with freedom reveal the potential for inspiration and emancipation as much as before, or does it reflect a deeper and deeper nihilism? In her new book, Maggie Nelson addresses these questions and explores the conceptual complexity of freedom in four different domains: art, sex, substance use, and climate. Drawing on sources ranging from popular culture and philosophy to intimate relationships and everyday interactions, Nelson makes sense of today's events and analyzes how we think, talk about freedom and how we live it. The writer is interested in the "practices of freedom" that help us negotiate, feel connected to others, show care, use coercion, and accept conflict and difference as an integral part of our communication. For Nelson, open reflection on key moments in our culture - from debates about contemporary art to The vibrant legacy of the sexual revolution, from the painful paradoxes of addiction to the despair of the climate crisis, is the practice of freedom, a way to exercise resilience, courage and discover our commonality. Book contains strong language.