The Gift: 14 Lessons to Save Your Life Hardcover – September 15, 2020

A great read that relates wisdom for the mind and soul as the gift we all have inside us, if only we practically apply it . Plus the author lets you immerse yourself in the culture a bit with her special recipes.

There are only two shelves of keepers on my bookcase and The Gift has earned permanent lodging on one. After surviving Auschwitz, herded by ruthless Nazis on a death march as Allies approached, and left for dead in a field of corpses, Dr. Eger was miraculously discovered and rescued by American soldiers. Yet, she came to believe that the lifelong mental prisons we create for ourselves are the most damaging. In The Gift, the author focuses on 12 of the most common, dedicating a chapter to each, which can be read sequentially or separately, reading and rereading each one as needed. Embedded within are many words of wisdom, rare jewels worth remembering such as: "To heal doesn't mean to get over it, but it does mean that we are able to be wounded and whole, to find happiness and fulfillment in our lives, despite our loss." Ultimately, the real gift is Edith Eger herself, who at 94 is a true national treasure who teaches us how to endure, to have compassion for others and ourselves, and to live life with joie de vivre.

This is a memoir, how-to and just fun book on a subject that applies to all of us.Having survived the holocaust, Dr. Eger shows us how she struggled with forgiveness, being enough, and being the message of change.This is an "in-your-face" walk through so many of life's challenges that anticipate readers' resistances.I was impressed by her saying that when she asks all new patients, "What is something that you do too much of?" Discovering that, she tells readers is the beginning of discovering what's broken from within our psyche.While I'm sure that I will reread this book many times, few areas that I will especially pay attention to are:Page 128, she advises a patient, "The next time he tells you you're wrong your answer is: 'You're right.' He can't fight with that. And you're not lying, because everybody makes mistakes; anybody could improve. Just say, 'Yes, you're right.'""If we deny an accusation, we're still accepting blame."Page 132, she asks, "Would you like to be married to you?" This is followed with five questions that holds you accountable for your part in your relationship, and especially in your relationship with yourself.Page 174 - 176, "Hope is the conviction that you survived all that you survied so that you can be a good role model. An ambassador for freedom. A person who focuses not on what you've lost, but on what's still here for you, on the work you're called to do. There's always something to do.""Set a timer for ten minutes and make a list of as many things as you can think of that are better now than they were five years ago."I've never met Dr. Eger, I live minutes from her.But reading this book, witnessing what she has overcome and the decisions that she made to overcome those challenges, I believe, on one level, we have met.Thank you, for guiding me to new questions that guide me to travel deeper into my psyche.

The Gift reminds us that we always have a choice: we can focus on what is not working or on what is working by discovering our inner strength. Written with deep wisdom and compassion, the author shares profound lessons she learned from the trauma in her life and how she healed them, showing us how to heal ourselves too.

Who among us has been in therapy and had the therapist share their own life story in a manner meant to empathize, teach, and lift? I never have!Dr Eger's own experiences, and stories from the experiences of her patients, are shared as examples of suffering and overcoming. It's not done in a way that minimizes the reader's own experiences and pain, but as lessons meant to encourage and give hope to the reader that they can survive, overcome, and find joy again in their own lives.As someone who has survived childhood trauma and abandonment, an abusive marriage, and an accident that has left me physically disabled, and severe depression, I found reasons to hope again, and encouragement that it's possible to be happy in spite of all the suffering I've experienced. I learned tools to help me find my way.This isn't a book to read once. It's a guide that can, and should, be read over and over again as we find our way to freedom from the pain that's held us down. It is truly a gift.* "The Choice," also by Dr Eger, was her first book and I highly recommend it, as well. It's her autobiography, detailing her life before, during, and after the Holocaust. She knows pain, and her survival and transformation from victim to survivor is inspiring. She's an amazing woman from whom we can all learn much.

I read this right after reading her first book (The Choice), and if you've already read that one then this one may seem a bit repetitive. I'm sure she wrote this one with the intention of reaching those who may not have read The Choice, but still, I found myself wanting more different information. Still a great book though... whereas The Choice is more of a memoir, The Gift has more practical, psychological points, so depending on what you're looking for you may enjoy one or the other more and not need to read both.

great

I’m not a reader like my Mom was. She could finish a book in one sitting.Good book and need to finish it before I forget what is about….lol