Dr. Edith Eger’s books: The Gift and The Choice
This week I finished reading The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life, by Dr. Edith Eger. The Gift is Dr. Eger’s recently released second book. The first one was the highly acclaimed memoir, The Choice.
I read The Choice by Dr. Eger in May of 2019, and it was an astonishingly good read. So many poignant moments and so much great advice for those who suffered through trauma.
My May 2019 Goodreads rating of The Choice:
An inspiring account of one woman’s life through unspeakable trauma and the healing afterward. Dr. Edith Eva Eger shares her compelling story with us, and shows how it is possible to release ourselves from victimhood. Must read for just about anyone who has experienced trauma or suffering. I’d give it 6 stars if I could.
The Gift is also good, but not as emotionally compelling as The Choice.
The Gift is Dr. Eger’s practical guide, of sorts, with stories of clients and personal experiences presented as lessons to the reader. Each chapter has three exercises, perhaps journal prompts, to help the reader do her or his own exploration of the topic.
I particularly enjoyed some of the marriage discussions and one question resonated for me.
Would you like to be married to you?
Whoosh, that’s a tough one to answer. Because, oof, maybe not. Who among us can say we’d like to be married to ourselves?
As far as self help goes, The Gift is eminently readable. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, as I felt it was solidly good, but not a knockout book. I’m likely to be reading it again soon.
I recommend both books.
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