“Coming upon [How to Disappear] was like finding the Advil bottle in the medicine cabinet after stumbling about with a headache for a long time.... For [Busch], invisibility is not simply a negative, the inverse of visibility. Going unseen, undetected, overlooked: These are experiences with their own inherent ‘meaning and power’; what we need is a ‘field guide’ for recognizing them. And this is what Busch offers, roaming from essay to essay in a loose, associative style, following invisibility where it takes her.... Inconspicuousness can be powerful - this may be Busch’s most radical point, especially at a moment when we’re conditioned to think power means yelling louder than everyone else in your Twitter feed, or showing the world in Instagram how you’re living your best life.... Silence and invisibility, [Busch insists], are part of our everyday lives - the place our mind wanders when we’re in the shower or out jogging, the feeling we get looking out the window of an airplane, the pleasure of becoming a stranger on a bustling city street. We take these pauses, these moments of exhalation, for granted, but we should clutch them close. They are our armor against the onslaught.” (Gal Beckerman, The New York Times Book Review, cover review)

“As the world grows ever more connected, it's imperative that voices preaching caution without hyperbole come to the fore. How refreshing, then, to read Akiko Busch's How to Disappear, which perfectly threads the needle.... [The book] isn't interested in providing a road map for getting off the grid, but in exploring the various ways humans do disappear, whether it's from view or simply into themselves.... Philosophical and thoughtful, How to Disappear beautifully illuminates the ways we choose to hide.” (Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review)

“These are by no means ‘notes’ but rather fully formed and often powerful explorations of the many realms and levels of invisibility to which one might aspire or withdraw.... With a tone that is more evocative than provocative, Busch meaningfully celebrates value where it goes unseen by others.” (Kirkus)

“Busch’s exploration of her subject is free-associative, wide-ranging, and poetic in its own right.... Busch offers a path to quiet dignity that is rich and enlightening.” (Publishers Weekly)