Edith Eva EgerBesprekingen

Love this book. An amazing story from an unbelievably strong woman. Her positive attitude is remarkable. Her whole life journey and self discovery was amazing. Loved also reading about the patient she saw and how she was healing them and the challenges they were facing. Definitely had me doing some self reflection. Love the book so much bought her other book.

***Recommended by Chris Harrington

There's quite a bit I don't agree or like about this author and while I anticipated a different angle, perhaps more motivational in nature- the tale nonetheless resonates with profound significance.

This gripping narrative delves into the harrowing experiences of a survivor, evoking raw emotions that left me "ugly crying" throughout the initial chapters.

As I turned the pages, I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Edith's journey and the atrocities she endured. The people she remembered and how she remembered them.

"We have a choice. To pay attention to what we've lost or pay attention to what we still have"

"Maybe going forward means circling back"

"What do we unconsciously teach our children?"

"The people we loved or relied on disappeared or let us down. He needed to be held and I held him"

"You can avenge the past or enrich the future"

"To forgive is to grieve for what happened, for what didn't happen, and to give up the need for a different past. To accept life as it was and as it is"

"Find the bigot in you"

"Arbeit macht frei but that work doesn't set you free. I was free and did the work I needed to do. The inner work sets you free"

"What do you want? Who wants it? What are you going to do about it? When?"

"Pediatrician and psychoanalyst DW Winnicott has said "It is a joy to be hidden but a disaster not to be found""½

A poignant memoir by an incredible woman. Yes, it's another devastating book about this horrific time in the not so distant history of the world, yet it's immensely readable thanks to Dr. Eger's style of writing. She'll take you to the depths of humanity and bring you back while you examine your own inner strengths.

Una inspiradora historia de valentía y supervivencia

4.25½

493-1

54201

This little book is packed through with life lessons, and self-discovery. Dr. Edith Eger is a clinical psychologistt who has devoted her life to counselling people on life lessons. All the good advice was gained by her own experiences in Auschwitz in WII. Her and her sister made it out. Their mother and father didn't. Edith emigrates to the US, and raises a family of 3 with a Czech national that she met in the US> Her personal story is heart wrenching enough, but her descriptions of some of her patients took the book to another level. As she states at the beginning of her book "Each moment in Auschwitz was hell on earth, it was also my best classroom"__I discovered the tools for survival and freedom that I use even day."This self-help book is one that I would recommend to anyone who is trying to figure out what's going on in their lives and why are the same mistakes being repeated. From one to twelve are all things thatt we should be aware of and use every day.

"How can I be useful to you?"

"How can I support you as you take responsibility for yourself?"

I had expected The Choice: Embrace the Possible to really move and inspire me. Instead I was left feeling lukewarm. This is a difficult subject and Edith Ever is clearly a brave, strong, and amazing woman. Her story is split into two parts: the war and her work. There wasn't much new when it came to the war portion. We've heard most of these stories before. The difference here is that these are Edith's stories and Edith's experience of them.

Her recollection of saying her mum was her mum and not her sister, in the selection line is one that I will never forget. It was a moment that was meant to honour her mother, but ultimately ended up sending her to the gas chamber. I'm not sure how one truly manages to make peace with such an innocent, yet tragic, action. Edith's work now, while interesting, is something I am quite familiar with personally and professionally. It reminded me fondly of those times and of all the self help books I used to buy (and sometimes read) while living in the UK.

Overall, an important story and an okay book. Just not as motivational as I was expecting.½

It is a story about a holocaust survivor ,but also it is a lot more than surviving the holocaust. It is a story about healing . A story about finding hope despite everything . A story to find a way to our freedom ,from the prison we put ourselves in.

Edith Eger was only 16 when she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. Although Edith’s slight stature made her appear younger than she was, she and her sister survived the initial “winnowing’ line and were sent into the camp to join what would eventually become work details. Her parents were sent to the other line – and probably gassed that same day.

Later that initial day she was made to dance for Mengele as she was a promising ballerina.

She survived the ordeal in the camp by the very thinnest margin. When the allies liberated the camp, Edith was found in a pile of bodies. Her back was broken and she could barely speak. Nevertheless, she was found and rescued and eventually regained her health.

It took her decades to become reconciled with her internment and she was even able to find forgiveness in her heart for her captors. She became a therapist and motivational speaker, urging people to look forward. She specialized in resiliency training and the treatment of PTSD.

These stories of WWII Jewish death camps are very hard to read. For me the stories of Jewish treatment by German citizens after the Jews were released are just a mind boggling.

Nevertheless, this a wonderful, inspirational book. Dr Egan lights the way with her story at a time I am struggling with all the current crises- pandemic, political and ecological. Hope can be found in the direst of situations.½

Even though there's only 191 pages, it takes awhile to digest everything in this book. It's felt like it was a condensed visit to one of the best therapist in town reflecting on fear, change, transitions and forgiveness with relationships. The book takes you back to the days of Edith Eger's younger life in Auschwitz which she describes as "hell on earth." Like many other survivors, she moved to America after the war for a new beginning. She got married had children and in her 40s became a Doctor of Psychiatry. Her wisdom at 92 years old is shared throughout the book. Highly recommended for those that need hope and encouragement in a world that has many challenges.

La version femenina de "El hombre en busca de sentido" de Viktor Frankl
De hecho la autora de esta libro va a leer el libro de Viktor y le cambiara la vida.
Ella misma paso por experiencias parecidas, yo diria peores, en campos de concentracion nazis y de esas experiencias ha sacado conclusiones psicologicas que expone en este libro.

Para mi la parte mas interesante era la de la psicologia, y la que menos la historia de su familia, creo que habria que cortar unas cuantas paginas ahi. Por lo demas muy bien, un libro que te hace ver la vida con otra perpectiva.

Edith and her coauthor do a wonderful job at creating accessible content. Even though she admits that PTSD never will fully leave someone that it has touched(or even their family/descendants) , her comments are incredibly empowering. A huge part of that is the friendly tone that somehow avoids being cloying. I also love that half of her bad examples are herself--- even including the trauma of a recent burglary in her home. I don't really remember how I found out about her, but I'm glad I did.

I've read Man's Search For Meaning and Night. But history held new horrors as I read Eger's story. And you should. Because, often, perceptions, fears, and suffering are processed differently between the sexes and ages. Corrie Ten Boom's experiences were terrible. But she was older. Eger was young.

As Eger so aptly writes, these differences invalidate neither the experience nor the person. One is not worse or better than the other. It is just different.

Her clinical observations are more accessible than Frankl's. I especially thought her observations on divorce, victimization, and suffering were worthwhile.

Many thanks to Jonathan Sacks who, in his last book, recommended this.

Esto es un libro de Edith Eger, una psicoterapéutica, y sobreviviente de Auschwitz. Ahora tiene 91 años pero, cuando tenía 16, ella con su familia fueron secuestrados por los Nazis y llevados a un campo de exterminación. Perdió sus dos padres por siempre, de inmediato y la primera parte del libro trata de sus experiencias y las de su hermana en el campo, después.

Una de las últimas cosas que su madre le dijo fue: "nadie puede quitarte lo que pones en tu mente." y sobre esa elección es lo que ha escrito en este libro (titulado "The Choice" en su versión original).Las otras dos partes del libro se trata de la vida después de la guerra y cómo ella logró vivir con un trauma que es inimaginable por la mayoría de nosotros. Dice que "no existe una jerarquía del sufrimiento", y demuestra una capacidad extraordinaria para la empatía; usó sus propias heridas para curar los demás. Aprendió enfrentarse al trauma, a no perder la esperanza, y enseñó a otros cómo hacer lo mismo.

Es un libro extraordinario sobre una vida extraordinaria y lo recomiendo para cualquiera. Mucha gente dice que la última parte del libro no es necesaria, y estoy de acuerdo, la verdad es que no cabe bien, PERO, me alegro mucho de haberlo leído, porque me gustaría leer tanto como pueda de esta increíble mujer.

What a hopeful book! Dr. Eger is brave enough to face all her trauma and grief and is generous enough to help others do the same and find peace in the tragedies of life.

Outstanding. A true pillar which helps to hold the house of which my life is made of. Exceptionally written, intense, and inspiring. What an incredible woman. What an incredible legacy. Will be in my mind the rest of my life. I hope to one day see her talk, I hope that those who have been fortunate enough to have her as their Doctor know what a true privilege it was and is to have her be in their lives. One could only hope any Doctor they see would have the same approach, love and care as Dr. Eger has. Her words within the book play in my mind, give me more compassion, have made me gain compassion.

I cried, smiled, cringed, got goose bumps, got surprised, saddened, angry, happy and inspired. It's truley amazing what a human being is capable of good and bad and the decisions you make. I highly recommend this book. Be aware, there are very graphic, vivid, possibly triggering, illustrative accounts of survival, and events within the book but is balanced with the outlook of a responsible Doctors knowledge. This book reminded me of the dance she speaks of on the book in it's overall structure.

The Gift is a must have for your bookshelf! There is not a person alive who will not relate to something written inside. The Gift is inspirational, empowering and very thought provoking. It words help put a lot of every day things into perspective. Highly recommend!

Lost a little momentum towards the end

This book deserves a second reading, if not more. There is so much to learn from Eger. Hope, courage, resilience, perseverance. How to deal with traumatic experiences, how you shouldn't pretend they never took place but acknowledge they happened. Feel deeply to deal with them. What is also amazing is that Edith Eger embarked on her career only when she was in her 30s, and got her PhD when she was 51 years old. It is never too late to chase your dreams.

Well written memoir of a horrific time, I learned more than I thought I would.

Dr. Edith Eva Eger picked up where Frankl left off, literally. Her personal story, about surviving the Holocaust and then using the experience to deeply understand and help people, is moving, then shockingly sad, and then inspiring. In the last few chapters she adds just enough pragmatic insights and case studies to help the reader grasp and apply the lessons. This is one of those books that you won’t be able to put down until you’re done, and then you’ll sit for a while, or a day, to continue taking it in.