Human Moments: How to Find Meaning and Love in Your Everyday Life (Paperback)

~ Edward M. Hallowell M.D. (Author) "I come from a crazy, old New England family cursed and in some ways blessed by what I call the WASP triad: alcoholism, mental illness..." (more)
Key Phrases: human moments, Uncle Noble, Rhoda Lee, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Human Moments(tm) is unlike any book available today. Renowned author Edward Hallowell proposes a simple, effective way to find happiness and love in this totally unique guide to living a fulfilling life. Dr. Hallowell teaches us how to recognize and appreciate a "human moment," an instance when we recognize and connect to things that really matter most in life and make it worth living.

An engaging storyteller, Hallowell uses his own personal experiences from a traumatic childhood to a prosperous adulthood to illustrate concepts and connect with readers. Skillfully he teaches us how to recognize human moments when they happen, how to savor them, treasure them, and turn them into an enriching experience. Best of all, he reveals how human moments are happening to us all the time-in fact, every day.

Hallowell forms each chapter around narratives of intensely moving stories from his own life and embellishes them with personal accounts and reflections from others. He concludes each one with suggestions on "creating connections" in our own lives through which we find true meaning and love. For all those engaged in the ongoing work of personal growth and life enrichment, Human Moments(tm) is at once poignant and inspiring, uplifting and endearing-an unforgettable book that will awaken hearts and change lives.

About the Author

Edward M. (NED) Hallowell, M.D., is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and the director of The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Massachusetts, an outpatient treatment for emotional and learning problems. He is the author of the bestsellers, Connect: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, and Deepen Your Soul; and Worry: Controlling It Using It Wisely; and coauthor of the bestseller, Driven to Distraction. For more information on Dr.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HCI (September 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558749101
• ISBN-13: 978-1558749108
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #383,752 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Prescription for Health, December 2, 2001

By	Educator and Psychologist (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

In Dr. Ned Hallowell's last book, "Connect," he emphasized the importance of "connectedness" to physical, emotional, and mental health. These connections can be with family, friends, colleagues, animals, art, music, ritual, faith, nature, or even history -- and people who have such connections live longer, stay healthier, and find greater enjoyment in their lives and relationships. Dr. Hallowell's new book, "Human Moments," continues to explore the foundations of health in his trademark style of warmth and honesty that makes you feel as if he is speaking just to you. Human moments are those funny, joyful, warm, sad, poignant, inspiring, crazy, loving moments that, in the rush and stress of our daily lives, can so easily be overlooked. Human moments are the building blocks of connections. Hallowell's skill and gift is the ability to present his ideas in a manner so personal and approachable that it truly motivates readers to look at their own lives, values, and relationships, and change them for the better. My belief in the value and importance of Dr. Hallowell's work is not just idle talk. As the head of an organization that builds "connections" with children, parents, and teachers around the world, I have purchased well over a hundred copies of "Human Moments," and Dr. Hallowell's last book, "Connect," and given them out to our employees. I consider it one of the best investments I could possibly make in their health, and the health of the children, families, and communities we serve.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Antidote For A World Much In Need of Love, September 16, 2001

By A Customer

I happened to order this book from Amazon before Sept 11, 2001 and was so lucky to have it on hand during this week of horrible sadness, as we all watched the WTC and Pentagon destroyed in a few inhumane moments. The good doctor has given us powerful medicine to heal our world in these pages. This book has a simple message -- we need to take the time to love and care for one another, nothing else much matters. With the backdrop of tragedy this week to drive his message home, the book took on a timeliness never intended. The way we treat one another, the love we share, this alone gives our world meaning. Not preachy at all, the book teaches by stories, his and others, of what human moments are made of -- his poignant recounting of his grandmother's Christmas Eve tradition of driving the family into town from Cape Cod for a Boston Bruins game in the 1950's, his total fear and lack of confidence at becoming a medical doctor as he began his internship, his hesistation to propose to his second wife and near miss at great happiness with her and their three children. Hallowell does something brave that so many authors shy away from. He tells the truth. This is pretty shocking stuff when so many experts, pundits, philosophers, and writers make every effort NOT to reveal their weaknesses. By doing so, he is showing us how we can share our humanness too. He reminds us how to risk being human; be willing to admit how hard being alive can be, be vulnerable, be honest. Build a real world on real caring and consideration for others. Trust the one compass that always shows the way -- love.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, March 14, 2002

By	A small business owner and parent of teenagers (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

I got this book soon after my dad passed away at the age of 88. Reading this book provided a welcome opportunity to reflect on what is important in life and how to nurture the best in myself, my family, and friends. Hallowell's book addresses serious topics with a light touch. It is humorous, poignant, and wise. I particularly liked the sections that touch on the importance of making time for our children and our elders. I recommend it for anyone who is seeking a daily life that is less harried, task-driven, and mechanized. Buy it, keep it on your night table, and read a few pages at the end of each day. You won't be disappointed.