Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace. Portfolio/Penguin, January 2026, 288 pp. (hardcover), $30. ISBN 978-059-3850596
Book review by Andrea K. Hammer
Layered with meaning and compassion, Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace is a general-interest book, with a valuable section about work and leaders, that vibrates with humanity.
Eight chapters focus on rediscovering a sense of value in our often disconnected modern life. After exploring subjects including reconnecting to your impact, serving as a “cornerman” (or woman), coping with life’s transitions and mattering at work, a moving epilogue captures the experience of loss with acute precision. A “Mattering Assessment” in the appendix leads to further reflection about holding significance in every area of one’s life.
Each chapter opens with a compelling real-life story about others’ search and need for making a difference. Some of the stirring ones include firefighters struggling with a lack of closure after emergencies and a sanitation worker acknowledging often “invisible” custodians at Harvard Law School after he overcame multiple obstacles to attend the prestigious institution.
Six years of research and hundreds of personal conversations enrich every page of this general-interest book. Study and survey findings, which are documented with care, provide a solid foundation and support for many of the practical suggestions. Those in the chapter about mattering at work are among the strongest ones that leaders, managers and others will find worthy of immediate implementation.
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace is a general-interest book, with a special focus on work and leaders, that truly makes a difference.
Andrea K. Hammer, founder and director of Artsphoria Media Group, is a freelance writer who has published articles and reviews in international publications. She has also worked as an editor for major publishers. To learn more and request details about these services including a book review of new releases, connect with her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-k-hammer
