Customer Reviews

The Blessing of a Broken Heart

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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.

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.

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.

(*sigh*) What can a mere person say about the pain that is spilled out on the pages of this book? How about "Thank you, Sherri Mandell, for helping me understand even just a little bit what a parent goes through when they lose a child." ?

This book heals more than hurts the reader. As a friend of a family who lost their child before his time, I grasped for a way to understand - to be the friend they needed in their time of sorrow. Reading this book has allowed me to be unafraid of their pain and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. It helped me to realize how their healing will come in stages and how I can support them through the coming months.

Thank you, Sherri, for sharing your unbearable pain and unimaginable blessings.

Sherri Mandell writes about the loss of her son in words of poetry. As she shares her deepest feelings, we cry and grow with her. She has an incredible and personable way of writing. The Blessing of a Broken Heart will touch everyone.

Some of my friends who have read this book say it is depressing. They say they cried as they read it. Yet I read it, and didn't find it depressing. The difference? I also lost my oldest son, but to a different beast. Sherri has taken the pain of losing a child, and wrapped it up for all to see. It is hard for some to read because they want to see us "get over" the loss. I hope that all who read it will see for a second what every waking moment of our lives are like. The writing is so eloquent. While taking you into the depths of pain, Sherri is able to shine light with her strength. She has offered us hope and inspiration, but carries the message that Koby is with her forever. Sherri has touched my heart!

Koby Mandell was a great kid, tragically lost to terrorism at the tender age of 13. His mother Sherri Mandell has written a book that is a moving tribute to her son and a testament to the strength of families and faith in the face of unrelenting horror. A surprisingly optimistic book with a vision of hope to warm all hearts.

The book is painful to read, yet life affirming. Not having lost a child, it is almost a pain to extreme to relate to. Yet, pain is pain and so is the strength of finding that loss is a source of compassion and the life shared an enduring gift.

It's hard to imagine using those 2 adjectives to describe a mother's book about the murder by stoning of her eldest son, but the title itself explains it. This book teaches the lesson in the Jewish and Christian faiths, "Give thanks to God for the good and the bad" - something extremely difficult and rare except in the abstract. The power of her book is that she is living it.

Her life becomes a testimony of a victorious spirit in God. Though she doesn't understand or condone the act, she refuses to be victimized by it. Ultimately, she creates something beautiful out of the ashes of her sorrow - an outreach to hurting people who are also victims of terror.

Thank you for writing this book. You have continued to be a blessing to people even across the ocean by allowing God to use Koby's death to create rather than destroy. Your courage is an example and inspiration. Thank you.

Simply the best book on grief i've ever read. Wise and spiritually centered, the amazing book deserves a place in every class on loss and grief. Add it to your curriculum. Just bring your tissues.