The Choice: Embrace the Possible
The Choice: Embrace the Possible, by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, is not only a book about surviving the holocaust, but it is also a book that teaches how to forgive the unthinkable and move forward towards a happy and productive life.
Summary:
The Choice: Embrace the Possible is a powerful and well-written memoir of a Holocaust survivor.
We follow Edith Eva Eger, who as a young girl lived with her family in Hungary. She was an excellent dancer and gymnast in the early 1940s. This beautiful young woman was on the Hungarian gymnastics team, preparing for the Olympics until, due to anti-Semitism, she was replaced. At the time she thought this was the worst thing that could happen to her. Little did she know then what her future would hold for her.
Edith and her family were taken to Auschwitz when she was only 16 years old. During the dismal cattle-car ride, Edith’s mother tells her, “Just remember,” she says, “no one can take away from you what you’ve put in your mind.” In the coming years, Edith plays that quote over and over in her mind. Most importantly, she believes that is what ultimately saves her.
At the end of the war, she is lifted from a pile of corpses, weighing 70 pounds and is nearly dead.
She struggles but survives. Moreover, her journey is amazing. She goes on to become a very successful psychologist in La Jolla, California. She has helped soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress, couples whose marriages are in trouble, addicts, in addition to victims of sexual and mental abuse.
At the age of 90, she is still active and is still working.
My thoughts:
This wonderful book has really has had a strong impact on me. I admire Edith’s strength and determination to choose to forgive others and also her ability to help others.
She was able to let go of her past. But Edith says she did not overcome it, nor will she never forget it. She says she has come to terms with it and that has made the difference in her life. Edith chooses not to become bitter despite the horrors she was faced with. She finds her inner strength. Above all, that decision freed her to lead a happy life.
The Choice was discussed in my book club and we all loved it. Many said they are going to purchase an extra copy in order to pass it along to others. Even without a traumatic event in your life, you will come away with the ability to choose to forgive others.
I highly recommend The Choice: Embrace the Possible. My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Other book recommendations:
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
- The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women
- Lucky Boy
Book reviews:
Something about the author:
Author website:
Interviews with the author:
- What my mama taught me – Watch this 12-minute video where Edith talks about revenge vs. forgiveness.
- YouTube interview of Edith by Jakob van Wielink.