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4.53 AVERAGE
4.53 AVERAGE
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
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Amazing story of an atrocious experience, enhanced by the author's life before and after, and the knowledge and experience she gained as a psychologist. Amazing read!
Excellent companion read to Man’s Search for Meaning from one of Viktor Frankl’s mentees.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
WOW. My timing for reading this book couldn't have been better. I think all of us, to a degree, are prisoners of our own minds during this pandemic. Part memoir, part self help book, Dr. Edith Eva Eger's incredible and inspiring story of surviving Auschwitz and going on to become a successful psychiatrist will inspire everyone to get through this difficult time.
The Choice was absolutely gripping. I hung on Dr. Eger's every word as she described her experience at Auschwitz-Birkenau, how she helped her psychiatric patients with troubles as terrible as you can imagine, how she ultimately returned to Auschwitz and decided to face her fears. It's remarkable how she managed to move on from a trauma as unthinkable as one can imagine, to forgive, to let go.
There are so many wise quotes from this book I adored about moving on from trauma and the past, my favourite being: “Time doesn't heal. It’s what you do with the time. Healing is possible when we choose to take responsibility, when we choose to take risks, and finally, when we choose to release the wound, to let go of the past or the grief.”
Everyone should pick this up. Especially in our times now, and especially those who have suffered a past trauma.
The Choice was absolutely gripping. I hung on Dr. Eger's every word as she described her experience at Auschwitz-Birkenau, how she helped her psychiatric patients with troubles as terrible as you can imagine, how she ultimately returned to Auschwitz and decided to face her fears. It's remarkable how she managed to move on from a trauma as unthinkable as one can imagine, to forgive, to let go.
There are so many wise quotes from this book I adored about moving on from trauma and the past, my favourite being: “Time doesn't heal. It’s what you do with the time. Healing is possible when we choose to take responsibility, when we choose to take risks, and finally, when we choose to release the wound, to let go of the past or the grief.”
Everyone should pick this up. Especially in our times now, and especially those who have suffered a past trauma.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
La enseñanza del libro es muy linda, y la historia personal de la autora si es fuerte y súper motivadora.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ porque me costó avanzar en varias partes que me parecieron aburridas, como en algunas historias de sus pacientes, sentí que eso me desconectaba de la historia principal. Aun así, el libro quiere dar un mensaje de historia personal/esperanza y si lo logra.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ porque me costó avanzar en varias partes que me parecieron aburridas, como en algunas historias de sus pacientes, sentí que eso me desconectaba de la historia principal. Aun así, el libro quiere dar un mensaje de historia personal/esperanza y si lo logra.