Supersurvivors

May 5, 2014
Feldman and Kravetz seek the special spark that separates those who grow and thrive from adversity and those who simply survive. Using real-life examples—including a breast cancer survivor, an athlete who lost a leg, and a marathoner diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor—the authors examine the common denominators in each case and what turned each into a person determined to use a tragic event as a springboard for personal and global change. The authors believe that blinding optimism can actually make situations worse; instead, they promote the idea that a grounded hope—believing that, in the face of all contrary evidence, something better is possible—is what separates survivors from “supersurvivors.” These supersurvivors also believe in control over one’s own destiny; acknowledge the past, forgive, and let traumatic experiences go; have realistic expectations; and recognize their own mortality while making the conscious decision to live life to the fullest. “We intended to write a book about how a few extraordinary people had survived trauma,” the authors claim, and “with the help of supersurvivors... we ended up writing about how every one of us can live more fully.”

February 15, 2014

You've heard the phrase "the power of positive thinking"? The authors challenge it in this study of triumphing in the wake of trauma, showing realistic expectations with an underpinning of hope and support are more likely to succeed. Kravetz himself survived a battle with cancer at age 29, which changed his thinking. Plenty of other success stories are listed, from the businesswoman who became an international rock star after her bout with cancer to a badly injured basketball player who became a Hollywood stuntman. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

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