“In this gem of a book, Alice Hoffman acknowledges the sorrows of life, while reminding us of its joys. Survival Lessons is filled with love, insight, and lots of practical advice--including a crazy-good brownie recipe. I'll be sharing this book widely, but keeping one copy permanently on my nightstand for all the times I'll need its wisdom and warmth.” —Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club“Full of smart intentions and kind reminders . . . Uplifting advice we’ll gladly take.” —Better Homes & Gardens“Very warm, humble, sometimes funny, infused with a spirit of optimism.” —The Jewish Week“The book is not about her breast cancer per se but about making choices (each chapter is titled “Choose…”) that will improve readers’ lives and relationships and remind them 'of the beauty of life.' More than cancer sufferers will be glad they picked up this tiny gem.” —Library Journal“It may be short, but it's powerful. An absolutely beautiful book.”—Sue Monk Kidd“Heartening.” —Kirkus Reviews“Writing with sparkling directness, warmth, humor, and long-steeped wisdom, Hoffman has created a companionable and genuinely useful book for times of crisis. Small, intimate, and lovely . . . Hoffman’s storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living.” —Booklist
Survival Lessons
Narrated by Xe Sands
Alice HoffmanUnabridged — 57 minutes
Survival Lessons
Narrated by Xe Sands
Alice HoffmanUnabridged — 57 minutes
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Overview
One of America's most beloved writers shares suggestions for finding beauty in the world even during the toughest times.
Fifteen years ago, Alice Hoffman received a diagnosis that changed everything about the life she'd been living. Most significant-aside from the grueling physical ordeal she underwent-was the way it changed how she felt inside and what she thought she ought to be doing with her days. Now she has written the book that she needed to read then.
In this honest, wise, and upbeat guide, Alice Hoffman provides a road map for the making of one's life into the very best it can be. As she says, “In many ways I wrote this book to remind myself of the beauty of life, something that's all too easy to overlook during the crisis of illness or loss. There were many times when I forgot about roses and starry nights. I forgot that our lives are made up of equal parts sorrow and joy, and that it's impossible to have one without the other. . . . I wrote to remind myself that in the darkest hour the roses still bloom, the stars still come out at night. And to remind myself that, despite everything that was happening to me, there were still some choices I could make.”
Editorial Reviews
Hoffman’s storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living.”
—Booklist
“In this gem of a book, Alice Hoffman acknowledges the sorrows of life, while reminding us of its joys. Survival Lessons is filled with love, insight, and lots of practical advice--including a crazy-good brownie recipe. I'll be sharing this book widely, but keeping one copy permanently on my nightstand for all the times I'll need its wisdom and warmth.” —Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club
“Full of smart intentions and kind reminders . . . Uplifting advice we’ll gladly take.” —Better Homes & Gardens
“Very warm, humble, sometimes funny, infused with a spirit of optimism.” —The Jewish Week
“The book is not about her breast cancer per se but about making choices (each chapter is titled “Choose…”) that will improve readers’ lives and relationships and remind them 'of the beauty of life.' More than cancer sufferers will be glad they picked up this tiny gem.” —Library Journal
“It may be short, but it's powerful. An absolutely beautiful book.”—Sue Monk Kidd
“Heartening.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Writing with sparkling directness, warmth, humor, and long-steeped wisdom, Hoffman has created a companionable and genuinely useful book for times of crisis. Small, intimate, and lovely . . . Hoffman’s storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living.” —Booklist
Hoffman’s storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living.”
—Booklist
09/01/2013
Prolific author Hoffman (The Dovekeepers; The Red Garden) took 15 years to write the book she wishes she had had upon her diagnosis. The book is not about her breast cancer per se but about making choices (each chapter is titled "Choose…") that will improve readers' lives and relationships and remind them "of the beauty of life." More than cancer sufferers will be glad they picked up this tiny gem.
After being diagnosed with cancer and beginning treatment, novelist Alice Hoffman found she was not able to find the type of guidebook offering the balm for the soul that she was seeking—so she set off to write her own guide to dealing with trauma. Narrator Xe Sands provides a heartfelt reading with vocal variation that at times incorporates just a bit of roughness in her voice to convey the strong emotions that are an integral part of dealing with life-and-death situations such as serious disease and loss. Tender, reflective, and approachable, Sands sounds like she’s speaking with a close friend or relative. For Hoffman's most personal work, Sands's personable tone complements the message of compassion. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
A how-to guide to facing death and living life by the popular novelist and cancer survivor. When Hoffman (The Dovekeepers, 2011, etc.) received the diagnosis about her lump, her immediate response was denial: "I was busy after all, the mother of two young sons, caring for my ill mother, involved in my writing. My most recent novel, Here on Earth, had been chosen as an Oprah Book Club Choice; an earlier novel, Practical Magic, was being filmed in California with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. I didn't have time to be ill." Once she came to terms with the fact that disease doesn't necessarily strike at our convenience, she was able to deal directly with her situation, put her life in perspective and get her priorities in order. She was one of the lucky ones--15 years later, she remains very much alive and productive, capable of writing the book that might have helped her when the shock of cancer blindsided her. "In many ways I wrote Survival Lessons for myself to remind myself of the beauty of life, something that's all too easy to overlook during the crisis of illness or loss," she writes. Though Hoffman has earned renown as a talented writer, this isn't really a writerly book, but more like conversational advice from a close friend. Most of the advice is common sense, yet the element of choice is crucial when faced with a fate that seems beyond your control. You can choose how to respond and put your crisis in perspective: "Good fortune and bad luck are always tied together with invisible, unbreakable thread." Hoffman ends with words of wisdom from her oncologist, who advised that, "cancer didn't have to be my entire novel. It was just a chapter." In other words, this too shall pass. A lightweight but heartening book.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170099566 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HighBridge Company |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2013 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
All the while I was in treatment I was looking for a guidebook. I needed help in my new situation. I needed to know how people survived trauma. It took all this time for me to figure out what I would have most wanted to hear when I was newly diagnosed, when I lost the people I loved, when I was deeply disappointed in myself and the turns my life had taken.
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