The Obstacle Is the Path is the second book by writer Ryan Holiday and was released in 2021. It's loosely based off the ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism and is the bestselling book of all time, according to The Wall Street Journal. Holiday based the book off of his own personal experience of living with chronic bronchitis. The story centers around his attempts to find a cure as well as how he deals with the personal obstacles that come along the way. Holiday also uses the story as an expository for the series of books he's currently working on, The Elements of Life. In The Obstacle Is the Path, Holiday uses Stoicism as a means of examining the obstacles we all face in our lives.

The plot of the book is a bit slow, which I found disappointing, but it was well-written and captivating. Holiday masterfully weaves a plot that never loses its momentum or boredom. The characters are well developed, with each character acting with much more depth than what was shown in previous works by Holiday. The Obstacle Is the Path was published just as the world learned that AIDS was a deadly disease and that it was a direct result of poor health practices. While it was understandable that people were being ill, it didn't make the story any more interesting. However, I would have liked to see more twists and turns throughout the book.
Despite its brief nature, The Obstacle Is the Path was one of my favorite books by Holiday. I think it's one of the best books of his because of its touching message and its style. While it lacks the lengthy plot that many of his other works have, I still believe that this was a good, quick read that captivated me. For someone looking for a lighthearted, enjoyable read, I recommend The Obstacle Is the Way by Holiday.