The loss of a loved one, a painful divorce, or a serious physical injury---we must all, at one point, face tragedy---unavoidable moments that divide our lives into “before” and “after.” How do we muscle our way through tough times and emerge stronger, wiser---even grateful for our struggle? In 1984, author Jerry White lost his leg---and almost his life---in a landmine accident. He has endured the pain of loss and the challenge of rebuilding. As cofounder of Survivors Corps, White has interviewed thousands of victims of tragedy. With this book, he shares what he has learned.
White outlines a very specific five-step program to coping with disaster; to achieving strength and hope; and to turning tragedy into triumph. In their own words, his survivor friends and colleagues share their stories. It's a group that includes the well known, like Lance Armstrong, Nelson Mandela, and the late Princess Diana, and also everyday survivors. Through their stories and the author's words, the book takes readers step-by-step through the process of not only surviving tragedy and victimhood, but going on to thrive.
I Will Not Be Broken: Five Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“An amazingly poignant book. But it does more than capture the collective experience of enduring a tragedy. It provides a road map for the individual and their family to put one foot in front of the other and reenter the land of the living. This book will be a remarkable tool.”
---Bob and Lee Woodruff, authors of In an Instant
“[White’s] courageous personal experience is a beacon for all who are searching to recover and reclaim life.”
---Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, bestselling author of Leap of Faith
“We can choose happiness, even after the worst of times. Jerry White offers an excellent guide to navigating and overcoming the traumas we face in our lives.”
---Deepak Chopra, author of Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
“Offers wise, practical, and inspiring steps to come back from life’s worst setbacks. Jerry White speaks with compassion and authority---and an abundance of emotional intelligence.”
---Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence
“This is an important book. Jerry White shares lessons learned from his experience . . . to help trauma victims recover, survive, and thrive.”
---Jane Goodall, author of Harvest for Hope
About the Author
JERRY WHITE is a global activist who has dedicated his life to helping victims of violent conflict. He has become a recognized leader of the historic International Campaign to Ban Landmines, co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Peace; and a cofounder of the Survivor Corps.
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Customer Reviews
“ It's an easy read, and I would recommend it highly to anyone who is currently facing a life-altering tragedy in their life, or the life of someone close to them. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When he was a college student in Israel in the mid-1980s, a landmine--leftovers of the 1967 War--blew Jerry White's world apart, taking a leg but leaving him with a big choice. Would he become a victim of an accident and live in bitterness and self-pity, or would he choose life?
First with the help of the do-or-die Israelis who had no time for self-pity or any other form of self-destructive self-indulgence, and then with the help of family and friends and countless wise others, White chose life and transformed his traumatic experience into his life's work. Today he is the leader of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (for which he was corecipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1997), and cofounder of Survivor Corps. He describes his journey from victim to survivor to "thriver" in his new book I Will Not Be Broken.
The book outlines a program of five steps for coping with disaster. He draws on his experiences as well as those of famous persons such as Lance Armstrong; Diana, Princess of Wales; Christopher Reeve, the American Psychological Association, and the not so famous--his college roommate, his mom, Bosnians who survived the warn in their country, a little Cambodian girl who also lost a leg to a landmine. His drawing on the wisdom of persons from all walks of life underscores he beliefs that wisdom is a collective resource as well as an individual one and that all life is interconnected. White's book approaches the challenge of trauma positively by focusing on individual strengths rather than dwelling on what went wrong and why.
I Will Not Be Broken is an earthy, conversational, and real testament of the beauty and wonder of all life. Here are some highlights of the book in White's words.
"Each of us has seeds of victimhood, survivorship, and thriving potential within us."
"The challenge we face is integrating our experiences--sorrowful and joyful--to help us evolve from victimhood to thriving."
"For many people, there isn't one precise moment of crisis [but an accumulation]--a few unpleasant things overlap, and a crisis sneaks up from behind."
To prevent being broken by crisis,
First, face the facts. "Great teachers and prophets admonish us to get real with ourselves, no matter how humiliating the facts."
"None of us will get very far without first examining our circumstances, relationships, and feelings. We will need to be ruthless in our self-assessment."
Second, we need to choose life. "We must consciously choose for our lives to go on in a positive way."
We can accomplish this by "nurturing a positive view of ourselves, keeping things in perspective, and maintaining a hopeful outlook."
Having crossed the threshold to survivorship, we can take the third step of reaching out because no one thrives in isolation.
"We have to let people in our life into our life." As Albert Schweizer has said, "'At times our own light goes out an dis rekindled by a spark form another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.'"
Next, we need to get moving, to think of the future and develop a plan for achieving goals, though "the speed at which [we] move is less relevant than the belief that [we]will move."
Finally, we must take Step Five and give back. "You must give to a community in order to belong to a community. You can become a volunteer, a community leader, a donor, a social change agent, a future peer supporter. You get outside yourself and, by doing so, get away from your suffering. It's not charity. It's not pity. It's gratitude in motion. It is belonging in action."
Taking these steps is the best way to avoid falling into the trap of victimhood, a stagnant state of being that includes living in the past, wallowing in self-pity, resenting others, blaming others, and taking from others.
Taking these steps can lead to resilience, "our capacity to bounce back and resume function and health after a confrontation with disruptive or traumatic events...Resilient people are somehow able to draw on past experiences and find inner strength to navigate their troubles and make the transition to a healthy, flourishing future."
First with the help of the do-or-die Israelis who had no time for self-pity or any other form of self-destructive self-indulgence, and then with the help of family and friends and countless wise others, White chose life and transformed his traumatic experience into his life's work. Today he is the leader of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (for which he was corecipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1997), and cofounder of Survivor Corps. He describes his journey from victim to survivor to "thriver" in his new book I Will Not Be Broken.
The book outlines a program of five steps for coping with disaster. He draws on his experiences as well as those of famous persons such as Lance Armstrong; Diana, Princess of Wales; Christopher Reeve, the American Psychological Association, and the not so famous--his college roommate, his mom, Bosnians who survived the warn in their country, a little Cambodian girl who also lost a leg to a landmine. His drawing on the wisdom of persons from all walks of life underscores he beliefs that wisdom is a collective resource as well as an individual one and that all life is interconnected. White's book approaches the challenge of trauma positively by focusing on individual strengths rather than dwelling on what went wrong and why.
I Will Not Be Broken is an earthy, conversational, and real testament of the beauty and wonder of all life. Here are some highlights of the book in White's words.
"Each of us has seeds of victimhood, survivorship, and thriving potential within us."
"The challenge we face is integrating our experiences--sorrowful and joyful--to help us evolve from victimhood to thriving."
"For many people, there isn't one precise moment of crisis [but an accumulation]--a few unpleasant things overlap, and a crisis sneaks up from behind."
To prevent being broken by crisis,
First, face the facts. "Great teachers and prophets admonish us to get real with ourselves, no matter how humiliating the facts."
"None of us will get very far without first examining our circumstances, relationships, and feelings. We will need to be ruthless in our self-assessment."
Second, we need to choose life. "We must consciously choose for our lives to go on in a positive way."
We can accomplish this by "nurturing a positive view of ourselves, keeping things in perspective, and maintaining a hopeful outlook."
Having crossed the threshold to survivorship, we can take the third step of reaching out because no one thrives in isolation.
"We have to let people in our life into our life." As Albert Schweizer has said, "'At times our own light goes out an dis rekindled by a spark form another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.'"
Next, we need to get moving, to think of the future and develop a plan for achieving goals, though "the speed at which [we] move is less relevant than the belief that [we]will move."
Finally, we must take Step Five and give back. "You must give to a community in order to belong to a community. You can become a volunteer, a community leader, a donor, a social change agent, a future peer supporter. You get outside yourself and, by doing so, get away from your suffering. It's not charity. It's not pity. It's gratitude in motion. It is belonging in action."
Taking these steps is the best way to avoid falling into the trap of victimhood, a stagnant state of being that includes living in the past, wallowing in self-pity, resenting others, blaming others, and taking from others.
Taking these steps can lead to resilience, "our capacity to bounce back and resume function and health after a confrontation with disruptive or traumatic events...Resilient people are somehow able to draw on past experiences and find inner strength to navigate their troubles and make the transition to a healthy, flourishing future."
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I must admit I was a bit reluctant to start reading this book because I thought it might be a bit depressing. I knew that the point of the book was that people can learn to thrive (not just survive) after trauma and tragedy; however, I was concerned that reading about so many people's experiences of tragedy would be difficult. I was wrong! I was completely wrong! It is a very inspiring and uplifting book! Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down.
The author of this great book, Jerry White, suffered the loss of his leg after stepping on a landmine in Israel in 1984. I have to say that Jerry has done a phenomenal job weaving together his story and the stories of many other people into a very uplifting book. I believe Jerry's book is genius in action. Even though he shares details of tragic events and raw emotions, the pages are filled with hope and positivity. He provides a clear road map for moving from surviving to thriving. I think this is a must read for anyone who has had some type of challenge in life - I think that is probably everyone! I have benefited spiritually, mentally, and emotionally from reading the book so I feel obligated to pay it forward by writing this review and letting you know about Jerry's organization - Survivor Corps.
To sum up - this is a great, enjoyable, uplifting, and powerful read. It provides a great roadmap to help you recover and learn to thrive after loss or tragedy.
The author of this great book, Jerry White, suffered the loss of his leg after stepping on a landmine in Israel in 1984. I have to say that Jerry has done a phenomenal job weaving together his story and the stories of many other people into a very uplifting book. I believe Jerry's book is genius in action. Even though he shares details of tragic events and raw emotions, the pages are filled with hope and positivity. He provides a clear road map for moving from surviving to thriving. I think this is a must read for anyone who has had some type of challenge in life - I think that is probably everyone! I have benefited spiritually, mentally, and emotionally from reading the book so I feel obligated to pay it forward by writing this review and letting you know about Jerry's organization - Survivor Corps.
To sum up - this is a great, enjoyable, uplifting, and powerful read. It provides a great roadmap to help you recover and learn to thrive after loss or tragedy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"I Will Not Be Broken" succeeds brilliantly at being what it sets out to be: a thoughtful, sensitive, and useful guide along the path of survivorship. I found it inspiring in all the right places, well-reasoned, and down-to-earth. Being able to discover more about White's own journey and where he looks for guiding lights is also a valuable aspect of the book. We have much we can learn from him.
White intersperses his very accessible philosophizing with his own personal stories as well as those of the people he's met in his work and travels. The result is a very readable book filled with useful tools and reflections on their practical applications by real people.
White intersperses his very accessible philosophizing with his own personal stories as well as those of the people he's met in his work and travels. The result is a very readable book filled with useful tools and reflections on their practical applications by real people.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth keeping to reread
Given to many friends. Reread sections to remind me of key points essential when faced with crisis. It just makes sense and has been incorporated into my values.
Published 6 months ago by Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jerry White's Book will bless you
I was recommended this book by a friend and easily understood why. Mr White had a horrible incident which he details so we grasp how serious his life was on the line, but the road... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Duane A Wade
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Will Not Be Broken
Quite an inspirational read. I have recommended this book to many of my friends and family. (This book was recommended to me by my Aunt)
Published on July 12, 2010 by Danne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Knowing What To Say -- From Seb O'Kelly
White's initial story is different but not unusual in of itself given his background, son of the Boston Brahim, raised with a healthy dose of liberal do-goodism, cradled in the lap... Read more
Published on March 2, 2010 by Elizabeth Okelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Really great stories and anecdotes. Jerry writes from the heart and isn't afraid to let you into his own psyche. Read more
Published on August 27, 2009 by jfish90
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, a HELPFUL self-help book
Many of us who have been through a crisis are familiar with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' 5 stages of grieving. Read more
Published on July 21, 2009 by Robert Michon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Steps to Live By
My son passed away last month at the age of 19 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I had already read Jerry's book prior to this, and took great comfort in knowing that there were... Read more
Published on May 28, 2009 by Debby Gorney
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
I am a public health nurse working with victims of violence in Oakland. I found this book extremely helpful both professionally and personally! Read more
Published on August 2, 2008 by Catherine
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiration for dealing with the worst in life
Nobel Prize winner Jerry White is the co-founder of Survivor Corps and the author of I Will Not Be Broken. Read more
Published on July 15, 2008 by Rich Kirkpatrick
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book for overcoming tragedy...
This book by Jerry White is very uplifting and provides practical steps to overcoming tragedy. It is extremely remarkable in it's approach to reaching deep inside a person to... Read more
Published on July 9, 2008 by AmyBayliss dot com
