Synopsis:

Andrew Bienkowski was five when, exiled with his immediate family, he watched his grandfather starve to death so they could survive.

Reminiscent of Viktor Frankel’s great classic, Man’s Search for Meaning, this extraordinary book melds the unfolding story of survival against the odds with the practical wisdom 5-year-old Andrew gained while coming to terms with his new home; with its dramatic landscape and endless challenges. In amongst the pain are moments of great beauty – breathtaking northern lights, the appearance of the first butterfly after the long months of winter, the unexpected kindness of strangers who risked everything to be kind. It was these experiences that inspired Andrew to become a psychotherapist, and to devote his life to helping others.

As Churchill famously said, ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’

Each chapter details powerful ways to achieve this with such concepts as radical gratitude (learning to be grateful even for the difficult experiences in life); who we can and cannot help; genuine being with others in need, and the remarkable changes that we can experience when we do.

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Author Comment:

Radical Gratitude is the notion that we can learn to be grateful even for the difficult things that happen to us in our lives because they teach us how to be better human beings. It’s a version of the old adage, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” When we embrace the idea of radical gratitude, we can learn to look back at the difficult experiences in our lives and see how they have transformed us—made us smarter, more resilient, more empathetic toward the suffering of others. Radical Gratitude also gives us hope during the darkest times--hope that we will someday be able to look back and realize what we have learned, that we will ultimately gain from our present pain. The grace lies in the lessons that the struggle imparts.

Topics/Categories:

A Life of Service, Faith, Family, History, Psychology, Survival, World War II

Type of Work:

Book

Publishers:

Allen & Unwin

Purchase From:

Allen & Unwin Publishers

Original Publish Date:

2008-03-01

ISBNs:

9781741754223

Publishing Notes:

This book will inspire readers to think in terms of the big-picture things in life—the things that we often take for granted, like persistence, faith, hope, love, and the importance of gratitude, even for the difficult things that happen to us. The book has been written in such a way that it can be inspirational to anyone—anyone can relate to Andy’s family and their story of survival. The case histories cited from his years of clinical practice are examples of the struggles that everyone faces. And the many timeless and inspiring quotations bring the book alive with a universal wisdom that speaks to everyone.

Formats:

Trade Paperback