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Summary: Author downplays certain losses.
Review: My son died at the age of 3 days in the spring of 2001. It has truly been the most difficult time of my life. This book was given to me by a couple of different people and recommended by several others. I found it a difficult read - as I believe my grief was too recent and I had a lot of anger. I didn't feel it was helping me deal with my loss. But because of the recommendations I soldiered on. I couldn't believe my horror on arriving near the end of chapter 4 "No exceptions for nice people". One page discusses the death of an infant by saying, "If he were to die shortly after birth, his parents would go home, saddened but not overwhelmed by the tragedy." Later on, referring to the same person now dying at 35 or 40, "Now his death causes more than a few days of sadness. It is a shattering tragedy for his wife and children, and a profoundly saddening event for all the other people in his life."How dare this man of God minimize the loss of my son. I belong to a baby loss support group and I definitely can say the losses we experience are overwhelming. It astounds me that a man who lost a child himself could show such little compassion. Instead of making me want to recommend this book to other bereaved parents, it made me truly sorry for any parents experiencing neonatal death who are members of his parish.
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Summary: This book will help America heal
Review: After the tragic events of September 11th, this book helped me to cope with the pain, anger and fear. I regard Rabbi Kushner as a great philosopher.
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Summary: Tape version is abridged...
Review: ...even though I can find no mention of that in Amazon's info on the audio tape version. I am visually impaired, and books on tape or CD are a real treasure for me. I really try to avoid abridged versions of works, as I prefer to have everything the author originally penned. While I can understand some reasoning for abridged versions, I really would like to have the information clearly in advance when I make my choice... That said, my first listening to the tape has already helped a little with the issues I am facing. I think a few more times through might even help me past my own obstinance... Highly recommended, with the caveat about abridgement.
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Summary: A SOUL HEALER....life education
Review: I found this book to be very illuminating. It was helpful in a philosophical sense to understanding a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another. Very comforting. Kushner is an excellent author and healer! I recently had to put my best friend Labrador Retriever(Caesar 9yrs old) to sleep because of cancer and at the same time was coming to terms with ending an intimate relationsip with someone i cared very deeply for. This book brought a bit of clarity and consolation. A must read for anyone!
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Summary: May be the most honest book I've read
Review: As one who chooses to believe in God, I found this book a challenge to read. It is Kushner's attempt to explain how he has come to accept and understand the loss of his son, Aaron. Kushner does not lie about the reality of suffering. All things are not justified in some far off, unfathomable, ultimate ending. Pain is real. Injustice wrong. Unmerited suffering, though the common plight of us all, is portrayed as the offense that it is. So this book does not defend God. God does not come riding in like the US cavalry. Perhaps the most shocking statement in it is that God cannot be all-powerful and all-good at the same time. If both, then God is guilty of not acting when he could, thereby becoming culpable in the very injustice that appalls us. If you are considering this book, I suspect there is a good chance that you are dealing with a personal tragedy of some kind. If so, you will be asking yourself many of the same questions that Kushner did. You may not arrive at his conclusions, but you owe it to yourself to read his book. You will not regret the effort.
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Summary: Above and beyond the "self help" genre.
Review: This book made me change the way I believe in God. That's pretty powerful stuff. Rabbi Kushner actually brings logic to religious faith. I know some think this book is sacrilege, but it helped me come to terms with a God who makes sense to me while helping me overcome tremendous grief.
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Summary: A book that cannot be rated, nor should I try...
Review: I must admit it. I was frightened to read this book. Yes, in many ways I had been somewhat hurt by life and was reluctant to approach the "self-help" category. In this I find comfort and, although Harold S Kushner says it does not provide answers, I think it does. Read it, absorb it and take what you can from this best-selling sermon. Feel it stab you heart with truth and fill you with light of hope. For this book I will not attempt to be my normal sceptical or humourous self. As a sub-marine Christian I found a lot that I could use. Don't judge me on the basis of this review, I really can sound less - freaky at times! I just have a lot of praise for this man. Try it.
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Summary: This is a life changing book! You'll use it for a lifetime!
Review: I read this book when I found out my mother had a malignant breast tumor. I thought the last thing I wanted to do was hear some trite pablum about how we should buck up & trudge on. This book is SO MUCH MORE. Rabbi Kushner opened my eyes to many things that I believed in my heart about God, life & faith, but had never consciously realized. Reading this book set me on a path of realizing that God is truly within each one of us (something I believe transcends religion). God gave us free will, therefore it IS possible for us to effect the future, good or bad. Rabbi Kushner makes this a pleasant journey, no matter where you think your heart is - in grief, mourning or disillusionment. He teaches us some Yiddish to make it so much easier & less painful to tread life's rockier pathways. You will take the gems contained in this book through your life. Better still, you'll help someone else get through a tough time by falling back with them on Rabbi Kushner's soothing philosophies.
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Summary: The truth will set you free.
Review: I read this life changing book in the early 1980's after experiencing many setbacks in my own life, our family business was very stressful and on the decline and most importantly my husband's 2 heart attacks at the age of 41 and by-pass surgery thereafter. This book changed my perception of God from a controlling God to a compassionate God. Written after the death of his 13 year old son who had a disease called "progeria" rapid aging, Rabbi Kushner shares with us his insights and his relationship with God. This transformation came after much pain, anger, blame and feelings of despair. The familiar words of Job: " Why me Lord," came to him often and after much scrutiny, Rabbi Kushner is convinced that this is not the God that he believed in, God would not take his son from him, God would not punish in such a cruel way. God was and is a compassionate and merciful God. This is Rabbi Kushner's gift to us, the conviction, belief and knowledge that God is a loving God.
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Summary: Incredible! Loss is NOT your fault!
Review: For anyone who has suffered loss of any kind, ever doubted your faith, ever wondered why God didn't stop the pain, WATCH THIS VIDEO. Without a doubt the best message on how to deal with loss, grief and recovery. More powerful than reading the book. Dr. Kushner is down to earth, easy to understand and even more important, has experienced a tragic loss in his own life that led to his realization of the mistakes that are made by friends and family (and himself as a rabbi) trying to help with the grief process. Whether you are experiencing loss of any kind, or want to help someone who is, this is the perfect video.
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