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Book Summary and Reviews of Conquering Fear by Harold S. Kushner

Conquering Fear by Harold S. Kushner

Conquering Fear

Living Boldly in an Uncertain World

by Harold S. Kushner

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Oct 2009, 192 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

An inescapable component of our lives, fear comes in many guises: fear of unemployment; fear of aging, illness, losing beauty; fear of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. In uncertain times, coping with these fears can be especially challenging, but in this indispensable, hopeful book, Harold S. Kushner teaches us to confront, master, and even embrace fear for a more fulfilling life.

Drawing on the teachings of religious and secular literature and on the true stories of people who have faced their fears, Kushner helps us to see that fear can present us with extraordinary opportunities—to connect with our emotions, rethink our values, and change our lives, and the world, for the better. For those who fear helplessness, he suggests empowerment: through prayer, service, and education. For those who fear for mankind’s future, he insists on hope and pragmatic measures, such as working to protect the environment. For those who fear death, he proposes life—lived boldly and purposefully.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Some readers may find Kushner's prescriptions to be inspiring; others will see them as banal platitudes." - Publishers Weekly

"A short, easy-to-read book filled with a great deal of wisdom and words of hope along with some practical measures for reducing fear." - Library Journal

"The inspirational author's latest is likely to strike a chord with a wide range of readers." - Booklist

"Harold Kushner once again arms his readers to battle life's difficult moments by showing the strengths they already have inside them: this time courage is the quality—the courage to change, to accept, to fight, and to follow virtue. An inspiring book for our times." - Mitch Albom

This information about Conquering Fear was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Harold S. Kushner

Harold S. Kushner is rabbi laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, where he lives. His classic work, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, was an international best seller. He was honored by the Christophers, a Roman Catholic organization, as one of the fifty people who have made the world a better place in the last half century, and by the national organization Religion in American Life as clergyman of the year in 1999..

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Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor

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