The Blessing of a Broken Heart [Hardcover]

Sherri Mandell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

WINNER of the National Jewish Book Award, 2004

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Of all the spiritual memoirs written about the healing power of love, this is one of the best and most relevant for our times. Author Sherri Mandell (Writers of the Holocaust had good reason to become a beacon of rage and despair after enduring the horrific murder of her eldest son Koby. Mandell, an American-born writer raising her family in Israel, sent her 13-year-old son off to school on May 8th, 2001. But Koby never made it to school that day. Instead he skipped school to go hiking with his friend Yosef. The two boys' bodies were found the next day—bludgeoned to death in a cave near Koby's home in Tekoa. Palestinian terrorists were blamed for the attacks, although the murderers were never found.

News of the brutal murders swept across the world. The boys were held up as martyrs, symbols for the age-old hatred between two sets of people. Mandell might have used Koby's death to fuel this ancient conflict. But instead she offers a beautiful memoir, written almost like a prose-poem that recounts her transformation from grief into love and compassion. Ultimately she founded the Koby Mandell Foundation, which offers healing retreats for bereaved mothers and widows as well as a camp for children whose parents or siblings have been killed by terrorists. Despite the inspiring journey, this is not a sugar-coated story. Mandell is not afraid to share the specifics of her sorrow—-and some of the passages are wrenching. "Just the night before he died, he lifted me up to show how strong he was," she recounts. "Then we measured and compared ourselves in the mirror, standing back to back. He was a fraction of an inch shorter then me. And now he will never reach me." This is a stellar memoir, speaking to the ever-constant challenge to cultivate love. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

Mandell, an American-born writer (Writers of the Holocaust), who has lived with her family in Israel since 1996, not only had to deal with the loss of the oldest of her four children, 13-year-old Koby, but also had to cope with the horrific way in which he lost his life. On May 8, 2001, Koby and a friend, Yosef, played hooky from school to hike in a canyon close to their home in Tekoa, a West Bank settlement on disputed land. Koby and Yosef were found bludgeoned to death with stones, an act attributed to Palestinian terrorists. The author writes movingly about her beloved son and brings him to life as an energetic, curious adolescent who loved books and sports. Despite the despair that engulfed her in the first days after Koby's death, the author's strong bond with her husband, Rabbi Seth Mandell, and her deep religious faith allowed her to fully experience the painful process of mourning, deal with the guilt she felt about living in an unsafe place and find an inspiring direction for her life. The text is laced with references to prayer and the Jewish traditions that Mandell relied on to help her understand why God had taken her son. Determined not to let their lives be ruled by hate, the Mandells have established the Koby Mandell Foundation, which sponsors healing retreats for women bereaved by terrorist violence as well as a camp for children whose parents or siblings have been killed by terrorists. Unfortunately, Mandell does not fully address in this moving account the complicated political situation in the Middle East that has led, in part, to the escalating, relentless violence that cost her son his life.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 233 pages
• Publisher: Toby Press; 2nd edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159264029X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592640294
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #784,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and Uplifting, August 19, 2003

By 

Sara Eisen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blessing of a Broken Heart (Hardcover)

There are no words to describe what Mandell endured - losing her eldest son in a brutal terror attack two years ago - and yet she's managed to describe her experiences in a beautiful and haunting way. Her writing is lucid, self aware, and full of feeling, but never melodramatic; she clearly does not want pity. It seems that her aim is simply to share her world - its pain and everything that pain has brought into her life. There is no way to walk away from this book uninspired or unappreciative of every morsel of life and love available. A truly spiritual experience with great sensitivity and, inconceivably, heart rendering humor. The title says it best: This book is about the deepest level of the human experience.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting through grief, January 17, 2004

By 

Chasya Singer "Bensonhurst Girl" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blessing of a Broken Heart (Hardcover)

Since I lost my oldest child six months ago, I felt I was too fragile and raw to read this book. While in Israel, however, I felt inspired and perhaps stronger, to delve into it. The feelings are so familiar and it is reassuring to know that the doubt and anger are not just mine. The only way to grieve is to communicate and share. This book provided me with some comfort that my reactions are normal and that I too will survive.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharing our Grief, January 1, 2004

By 

Hazel Reinert "batyah" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Blessing of a Broken Heart (Hardcover)

My son died a few months ago and I have begun reading many books on grief. But Sherri Mandell's book "Blessings of a Broken Heart" is the best one I have read. It is easy to read yet very deep. Each chapter is short and essay-like and can be read independently. Sherri is very open about what her grief feels like, openly talking about subjects others may avoid. It seems as I read that she and I are sitting across the table from each other sharing our grief. At the same time, she gives a glimpse into the lives of those that are brave enough to return to Israel to live in these perilous times. And she also gives a glimpse into the Jewish way of mourning. This book is a journey through the first year of grief and you feel like you are walking it with her. I recommend this book to ANYONE that is grieving or has a loved-one that may be grieving. I have not read another book on grieving since - hers was the last one I needed.