Rating: 
Summary: "There are better choices to understand the mind of God..."
Review: I must admit, I have not read this book yet, but aim to do so. I heard Mr. Kushner speak about his book on the God Squad and the message of his book .I found it extremely sincere and thoughtful. I think this book would put many people at rest with some of their un-answered question.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelins
Review: This book talks about what tragedy and suffering do and do not mean in life. The main point is that people often overinterpret what it means when something tragic occurs to them, in that they seek to blame themselves or others, or want to find cause-and-effect in bigger forms that it might actually exist.
My family has gone through three major tragedies or traumatic experiences: I became a quadriplegic from a spinal cord injury at age 15, my brother passed away at age 50, and my father was in a serious automobile crash. My father was given this book well after my accident, but well before my brother's death. He has read it three times, and finds it very helpful. My mother and I read it once each and, while we do not argue with it, we did not find it helpful either. It was a null entity for the two of us.
For the solace and comfort it has granted my father, I give it four stars, and I thank the author.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Blame God--or Yourself!
Review: This gem of a self-help book offers real comfort for those who are wrestling with the eternal dilemma of why disasters--especially the death of a loved one--happen. Sincerely humane
this book suggests how to survive emotionally, once the shock wears off. Most of us are guilty of speaking the typical funeral platitudes which we have heard many times over--in life, on TV and in the movies and books. These are the times that try not only men's souls, but also seem to test our faith. Will this psychological pressure cause us to be crushed by grief and despair, or will it change us into rough diamonds? Kushner has walked down this agonizing road himself; now he shares his insight with all who mourn, regardless of religious persuasion. He assures us that it Is possible to retain belief in a God who "allows" these tragedies to happen. Hopefullyl we will mature spiritually into people of greater compassion than we would have ever expected possible. No book can bring back the deceased, but This one makes it easier to accept the loss, by urging us to honor the beloved, instead of indulging in guilt
or misdirecting our anger. Take heart--be true to the memories of those who now live only in your heart.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enlightening
Review: Unfortunately, we all suffer in our lifetimes. As part of our pain, we try to rationalize why we are undergoing trauma. Harold Kushner takes a personal tragedy as a backdrop for his explanation of why bad things happen to good people.
Kushner left a grey area in this book, though I do not find it particularly objectionable. How much you get from this book may depend on where you stand on the issue of sovereignty. Does God control everything that happens to us? Or is everything determined by free will of man? Free will, of course, is very real. It is not God that causes a bullet to kill an innocent person. The free will of the shooter allows him to fire the gun killing the innocent man. God does not intervene. If God intervened everytime an innocent person were hurt, he would be interfering with free will. Occasionally, the bullet may miraculously miss and maybe it is the work of God. God has that power. As an issue of sovereignty, it is a combination between free will and God making things happen. It is the logical explanation.
Once this issue is surpassed, Kushner presents various scenarios that happen to good people. He uses the most famous story in the Bible as an example. The story of Job is the ultimate story of bad things happening to a good person. In the story, Job must get past that fact that he has not sinned to deserve this suffering. Suffering, and religion in general, is an opportunity for us to be comforted and see the good in others. When we see others suffering, it gives us the opportunity to comfort, showing our goodness. With disease, hunger, or suffering, God gives us the resources to use. Man has the free will to end suffering.
The easiest way to think about the big picture is the poem title "Footprints in the Sand". The moral of the story is that God has not abandoned us in times of suffering. If we turn to Him and ask for strength to make it through, we will not disappointed. There is not one set of footprints in the sand because God abandoned us, he is carrying us through our suffering. Pain and death will not end in this world. We can never make complete sense of our suffering, but the strength can make life easier when we seek Him.
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