Join Books.org — it's free

Bibles & Bible Studies, General & Miscellaneous Religion, Jewish Life
Overcoming Life's Disappointments by Harold S. Kushner — book cover

Overcoming Life's Disappointments

by Harold S. Kushner
Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Log in to track your reading progress.

Overview

From Harold S. Kushner, author of the inspirational #1 bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People, comes a book that shows us how to be our best selves even when things don’t turn out as we had hoped.Kushner turns to the experience of Moses to find the requisite lessons of strength and faith — the lesson that teach us how to overcome the disappointments that life inherently brings. From the examples of his remarkable resilience, we can learn how to meet all disappointments with faith in ourselves and the future, and how to respond to heartbreak with understanding rather than bitterness and despair. With Kushner’s signature warmth, Overcoming Life’s Disappointments is a book of spiritual wisdom — as practical as it is inspiring.

Synopsis

From Harold S. Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, an audiobook that shows us how to be our best selves even when things don t turn out as we had hoped that is, how we can overcome life s disappointments.Kushner turns to the experience of Moses to find the requisite lessons of strength and faith. Moses towers over all others in the Old Testament: he is the man on the mountaintop to whom God speaks with unparalleled intimacy, and he leads his people out of bondage. But he is also deeply human, someone whose soaring triumphs are offset by frustration and longing: his people ignore his teachings, he is denied entrance to the Promised Land, his family suffers. But he overcomes.Through the example of Moses remarkable resilience, we learn how to weather the disillusionment of dreams unfulfilled, the pain of a lost job or promotion, a child s failures, divorce or abandonment, and illness. We learn how to meet all disappointments with faith in ourselves and th...

Publishers Weekly

When life does not unfold as planned, Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) strongly but sympathetically urges his readers to take inventory, learn from their experiences and move on with an open heart. Who better to learn from, he contends, than Moses, the greatest hero of the Jewish people? Moses not only led the Jews from slavery in Egypt and through the desert for 40 years to receive the Torah, but had to continually bear the ingratitude and complaints of his people, and relegate his personal life to a distant second place. Threading vignettes of Moses' resiliency into his discussion, Kushner advises that when personal difficulties arise-whether in the form of illness, marital problems or job frustrations-readers should not allow their faith and dreams to die. Rather, they should draw upon hope and forgiveness to become stronger, channeling their love and fear toward a dream that incorporates the best of who they are. Kushner does not shy away from difficult issues and awkward dilemmas, and his years of rabbinical experience in dealing with congregants' troubles make him well suited to offer advice. This readable and sensitive discussion of "Life is tough; let's be strong enough not to be broken by it" should appeal to anyone who has ever been disappointed. (Aug. 16) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Harold S. Kushner

Harold S. Kushner is Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, where he lives. His books include The Lord Is My Shepherd, Living a Life That Matters, and How Good Do We Have to Be?

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

For Rabbi Harold Kushner, we can find no better model for coping with life's disappointments than the Old Testament's Moses. True, this leader of his people was no common man, but he did encounter major roadblocks that challenged his success and even tested his faith. Kushner's Overcoming Life's Disappointments gleans principles from the life of this exalted patriarch that can help us weather our own sojourns in the wilderness.

Publishers Weekly

When life does not unfold as planned, Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) strongly but sympathetically urges his readers to take inventory, learn from their experiences and move on with an open heart. Who better to learn from, he contends, than Moses, the greatest hero of the Jewish people? Moses not only led the Jews from slavery in Egypt and through the desert for 40 years to receive the Torah, but had to continually bear the ingratitude and complaints of his people, and relegate his personal life to a distant second place. Threading vignettes of Moses' resiliency into his discussion, Kushner advises that when personal difficulties arise-whether in the form of illness, marital problems or job frustrations-readers should not allow their faith and dreams to die. Rather, they should draw upon hope and forgiveness to become stronger, channeling their love and fear toward a dream that incorporates the best of who they are. Kushner does not shy away from difficult issues and awkward dilemmas, and his years of rabbinical experience in dealing with congregants' troubles make him well suited to offer advice. This readable and sensitive discussion of "Life is tough; let's be strong enough not to be broken by it" should appeal to anyone who has ever been disappointed. (Aug. 16) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Few writers in popular spirituality have been more prolific, more beloved, or more successful in reaching across the lines that divide one faith from another than Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People). Here, he skillfully negotiates two puzzles: Why did Moses, as depicted in Hebrew Scripture, struggle so hard and not see the Promised Land, and how can we all cope with disappointment? Kushner finds deep meaning and satisfaction in Moses's heroism and duty and sees in him an example for us all. Distinctive in its approach and gracefully written, Overcoming is perhaps Kushner's best book in years. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/06.] Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Book Details

Published
August 1, 2007
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Pages
192
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781400033362

More by Harold S. Kushner

Similar books