When Life Hurts: A Book of Hope [Hardcover]

Wayne D. Dosick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

In the tradition of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People", Wayne Dosick, the author of the beloved "Golden Rules", offers a profound personal meditation on rebuilding after the fires of tragedy, and teaches readers how to create a new and deeper life in the aftermath of a painful loss. .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Rabbi Dosick, spiritual guide of the Elijah Minyan in San Diego, and his wife, a spiritual psychotherapist, lost everything they owned in a house fire. Here Dosick offers his spiritual journey through grief toward final acceptance, hoping that readers will crawl inside his hurt, face their own traumas, and emerge on the other side of pain. Unfortunately, the journey is seldom so deep; not until the last few chapters does he get to the meat of his theory on evil, why it happens, and where God is in all this. As he admits, Dosick intellectualized the tragedy for a long time, not allowing himself to feel the grief, and sometimes it shows. For example, he resolves the difference between his wife's way of mourning and his own with a surface solution?that they respect each other's way of dealing with loss. His analyses of the place of material possessions in our lives and our connection to God are not revolutionary, but his journey in getting to these points is worth reading for those experiencing a loss. However, if you have to read only one book on the subject, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's classic On Death and Dying (LJ 7/69) or Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People (LJ 9/1/81) still have more punch and depth.?Susan E. Burdick, MLS, Reading, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Harper San Francisco; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062515276
• ISBN-13: 978-0062515278
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,226,482 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moving Personal Account of Material Loss, April 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When Life Hurts: A Book of Hope (Hardcover)

Some may contend that rabbi Dosick's book leaves something to be desired because it deals with material loss, rather than with the loss of a loved one. But possessions do have emotional value, and losing everything one owns in a fire does hurt. The author faces the doubts that his loss raised about his faith in God, and his journey to resolve these doubts is worth following. Although there are no easy or obvious answers, rabbi Dosick's suggestions can help readers cope more effectively with whatever kinds of loss and doubt they may face.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A personal narrative of life and faith, December 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Life Hurts: A Book of Hope (Hardcover)

Rabbi Dosick explores some of the most basic concerns and feelings we experience and feel when terrible things happen to us- when life hurts. Terrible things happen all the time, but how do we make sense of these things? Likewise, how are we to respond or react to these things? Pain, suffering, sorrow, and loss are part of our human experience, but it is the way that we respond to these life events that really matters. As Rabbi Dosick explains, we have the choice of either choosing misery or rejecting it. We can either live a life of misery, or we can live a life of hope. We can recognize and appreciate our blessings and good fortunes, or we can focus on the most painful and consuming sorrows of our lives. Through simple parables and personal antedotes, Rabbi Dosick helps us make sense of our hardships, and he helps us recognize and appreciate the good that can come from human tragedy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, March 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: When Life Hurts: A Book of Hope (Hardcover)

A marvelous read for aid in healing from any of life's struggles. The author does not limit his spiritual perspective to one single religion, but draws on spiritual truths from many sources. An easy read, but full of profound food for healing emotional and spiritual scars, and gathering the strength to overcome the trials we all face.