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4.53 AVERAGE
4.53 AVERAGE
The Choice by Edith Eger is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early September.
Ahh, Dr. Eger, if I could be half as capable as her during the work I plan to do in counseling, I would have a fine career, indeed. Her personal story (as well as that of her parents, sisters, husband, daughters, and son) of triumph and strength by choosing to live beyond the traumatic experiences in her life and choosing to enrich her future over living to avenge her past is, at times, difficult to read, but so very worth it in the light of the lives she has been able to improve and the quality of care, concern, and pin-point precise questioning that she is able to offer.
Ahh, Dr. Eger, if I could be half as capable as her during the work I plan to do in counseling, I would have a fine career, indeed. Her personal story (as well as that of her parents, sisters, husband, daughters, and son) of triumph and strength by choosing to live beyond the traumatic experiences in her life and choosing to enrich her future over living to avenge her past is, at times, difficult to read, but so very worth it in the light of the lives she has been able to improve and the quality of care, concern, and pin-point precise questioning that she is able to offer.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I read this book in less than a week. Picked it up to read the first ten pages and could not put it down. It had been on my shelf for several years because I couldn't bring myself to read yet another Holocaust recovery account...but this is not just another Holocaust recovery account. Her marriage, her emigrating to America, her professional and personal journey....all are fascinating and inspiring. Give her ghostwriter a raise, she knew how to wrap this story in a way that captivates you from beginning to end.
Buena narración que hace que no sueltes el libro hasta terminar.
Sólo el título en español es un poco engañoso. Es mejor el título original en inglés.
Sólo el título en español es un poco engañoso. Es mejor el título original en inglés.
Que belleza de libro a pesar de ese momento en la historia terrible, traumático que no debió existir, Edith con el amor que siente por sus hermanas, esposos, sus hijos y sus pacientes nos enseña tanto sobre la sanación, el perdón, la liberación de la propia cárcel, el autoapoyo, que me dejó con los sentimientos a flor de piel.
Un libro de ir en épocas de confinamiento llega a enseñar tanto sobre el poder de elegir día tras día. Maravilloso libro.
Un libro de ir en épocas de confinamiento llega a enseñar tanto sobre el poder de elegir día tras día. Maravilloso libro.
Beautiful words, empowering, heart breaking, and resilient.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
What an inspiring read, truly impressed by the writer's resilience and positive mindset that brought her through so many challenges in life. Will take away from this that there is always a choice in how you respond, and not to immediately react. Very interesting as well to read at the same time as "thinking fast and slow" as I think this is an exceptional example of using your thoughts intentionally
Can I give this book 10 stars? Might be one of the best books I have ever read
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I feel bad rating this one as low as I am but I don't feel like I got what I was promised from it. This is an valuable story to share and I wish I had enjoyed it more than I did. And there was quite a specific reason why I ended up not liking it.
I started wondering if I's picked up the wrong book during the introduction, which felt more like a self help book than a memoir but I decided to keep going because, well, I guess it makes sense to talk about the psychology of trauma before a book exploring it. Things did take a turn for the better once the actual book started and I quite enjoyed getting to see into Eger's life. I actually quite enjoyed the parts that were set before and during the war. Okay, maybe enjoy isn't the right word for a good deal of that because a lot of it was rather grim, covering awful events, but it was easily the strongest part of the book. It has a clear narrative and Eger does a good job describing the horrors of what she has been through.
When she was liberated from the Nazis I was surprised by how much of the book was still left. I mean, this is described as a Holocaust story after all. I enjoyed seeing the start of her recovery when she returned home, but unfortunately I felt like the book took a downward turn after she moved to America, when the self helpy introduction suddenly started making a lot of sense. Looking at the favourable reviews , I am in the minority here. And yes, describing her recovery is valuable. I think showing that the struggles don't just end and how much work it takes to "get better" is so important and even here there were aspects that were well written and hit hard. But the writing becomes less focussed and more repetitive. I feel like this section have been cut down quite a bit. For example, I don't understand why we need to know so much about some of her patients (I know helping them helped her but still...). This section often felt like it leaned quite heavily into self help (which I didn't really get from the description) and that is just a genre I don't enjoy. I was ready to give this book at least 4 stars until this point, but given how substantial this section was I just couldn't anymore.
Overall a book with so much promise. I wish the last section had been better though...
I started wondering if I's picked up the wrong book during the introduction, which felt more like a self help book than a memoir but I decided to keep going because, well, I guess it makes sense to talk about the psychology of trauma before a book exploring it. Things did take a turn for the better once the actual book started and I quite enjoyed getting to see into Eger's life. I actually quite enjoyed the parts that were set before and during the war. Okay, maybe enjoy isn't the right word for a good deal of that because a lot of it was rather grim, covering awful events, but it was easily the strongest part of the book. It has a clear narrative and Eger does a good job describing the horrors of what she has been through.
When she was liberated from the Nazis I was surprised by how much of the book was still left. I mean, this is described as a Holocaust story after all. I enjoyed seeing the start of her recovery when she returned home, but unfortunately I felt like the book took a downward turn after she moved to America, when the self helpy introduction suddenly started making a lot of sense. Looking at the favourable reviews , I am in the minority here. And yes, describing her recovery is valuable. I think showing that the struggles don't just end and how much work it takes to "get better" is so important and even here there were aspects that were well written and hit hard. But the writing becomes less focussed and more repetitive. I feel like this section have been cut down quite a bit. For example, I don't understand why we need to know so much about some of her patients (I know helping them helped her but still...). This section often felt like it leaned quite heavily into self help (which I didn't really get from the description) and that is just a genre I don't enjoy. I was ready to give this book at least 4 stars until this point, but given how substantial this section was I just couldn't anymore.
Overall a book with so much promise. I wish the last section had been better though...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, War
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Rape, Suicide, Classism
reflective
sad
medium-paced