How to Disappear

Notes on Invisibility in a Time of Transparency

By: Akiko Busch

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

It is time to reevaluate the merits of the inconspicuous life, to search out some antidote to continuous exposure, and to reconsider the value of going unseen, undetected, or overlooked in this new world. Might invisibility be regarded not simply as refuge, but as a condition with its own meaning and power? The impulse to escape notice is not about complacent isolation or senseless conformity, but about maintaining identity, autonomy, and voice.

In our networked and image-saturated lives, the notion of disappearing has never been more alluring. Today, we are relentlessly encouraged, even conditioned, to reveal, share, and promote ourselves. The pressure to be public comes not just from our peers, but from vast and pervasive technology companies that want to profit from patterns in our behavior. A lifelong student and observer of the natural world, Busch sets out to explore her own uneasiness with this arrangement, and what she senses is a widespread desire for a less scrutinized way of life—for invisibility. Writing in rich painterly detail about her own life, her family, and some of the world’s most exotic and remote places, she savors the pleasures of being unseen. Discovering and dramatizing a wonderful range of ways of disappearing, from virtual reality goggles that trick the wearer into believing her body has disappeared to the way Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway finds a sense of affiliation with the world around her as she ages, Busch deliberates on subjects new and old with equal sensitivity and incisiveness.

How to Disappear is a unique and exhilarating accomplishment, overturning the dangerous modern assumption that somehow fame and visibility equate to success and happiness. Busch presents a field guide to invisibility, reacquainting us with the merits of remaining inconspicuous, and finding genuine alternatives to a life of perpetual exposure. Accessing timeless truths in order to speak to our most urgent contemporary problems, she inspires us to develop a deeper appreciation for personal privacy in a vast and intrusive world.

Lots to think about here

I especially found interesting the chapter that examined the invisibility of middle-aged women, and referenced Virginia, Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

Thought-provoking, engaging, beautifully narrated

This book is so thoughtfully written and well-researched. Gabra Zackman's nuanced, heartfelt, and respectful narration is spot-on.

Not what I expected

I thought this was going to be a more practical book. It was very philosophical and spiritual. The story itself was very hard for me to follow.

Not a Guide on How to Disappear

I was expecting more of a practical guide but this ended up being a philosophical research paper on the idea of invisibility. I returned this title after the third chapter.

A Slog

The book is not about *how* to disappear but is more about the author's views and philosophical musings on invisibility in all its various forms (physical, cultural, societal, etc.). There is some interesting stuff, some needless interjection of (leftist) politics and a lot of repetition. The title is misleading and the actual material is often pretentious. Save one or two chapters, it makes a wonderful sleep aid.