Survivor Lessons

This collection of scholarly essays examines reality television. The first show, Survivor, inspired a national craze when it aired in the summer of 2000. Ever since, successors and copycats have been on each of the four largest networks. The basics stay the same: put a group of people into situations bound to cause conflict, and watch them squirm. Rather than criticize the series' voyeuristic appeal, this work evaluates what goes on within the text of such shows and how they reflect or affect our larger culture. Contributors include researchers from communications, sociology, political science, and psychology. The contributions cover such topics as reality television's relationships with cultural identity, publicity rights, historical perspectives, trust, decision-making strategies, political rationality, office politics, and primitivism. Each chapter includes a bibliography. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The New York Times–bestselling author and cancer survivor tells how to hold on to joy in times of sorrow in this “absolutely beautiful book” (Sue Monk Kidd). The prize-winning author of such modern literary classics as Practical Magic, The World That We Knew, and The Marriage of Opposites, Alice Hoffman is also a cancer survivor. In Survival Lessons, she shares her transformative journey, showing us how to re-envision our own lives and relationships with our friends and family, and the significance of the everyday choices we make. Sorrow and joy are both part of the human experience, and the beauty of the world is easy to overlook during periods of crisis, illness, or loss. Here, Hoffman offers wit, wisdom, and comfort in “an optimistic instruction manual [for] anyone struggling with self-care in a time of trouble” (Story Circle Book Reviews). “In this gem of a book, Alice Hoffman acknowledges the sorrows of life, while reminding us of its joys. Survival Lessons is filled with love, insight, and lots of practical advice—including a crazy-good brownie recipe.” —Will Schwalbe, New York Times–bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club “Hoffman’s storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living.” —Booklist “[Survival Lessons] is not about [Hoffman’s] breast cancer per se but about making choices that will improve readers’ lives and relationships and remind them ‘of the beauty of life.’” —Library Journal “Full of smart intentions and kind reminders . . . Uplifting advice we’ll gladly take.” —Better Homes & Gardens

At the age of four, Dr. Lise Deguire suffered third-degree burns over 65% of her body. In this memoir, she tells her story as a burn survivor and growing up in her dysfunctional family. Despite the seriousness of the subject, the tone of the book is positive, humorous, and inspiring.

Survivor: Bible Style introduces kids to spine-tingling stories of Bible-time survivors, from Rahab to Gideon, Esther, Daniel, Paul, and many more. From one hair-raising adventure to the next, kids will discover that God takes care of those who are faithful to Him, no matter the odds against them. Reproducible lessons chock full of incredible escapes, spies in danger, and desperate plots will help kids learn that the God who intervened for His people throughout history still rules the world and watches over them today!

The subject of the Academy Award–winning documentary The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, Alice Herz-Sommer was the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor when she died on February 23, 2014. A Century of Wisdom is the true story of her life—an inspiring story of resilience and the power of optimism. Before her death at 110, the pianist Alice Herz-Sommer was an eyewitness to the entire last century and the first decade of this one. She had seen it all, surviving the Theresienstadt concentration camp, attending the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem, and along the way coming into contact with some of the most fascinating historical figures of our time. As a child in Prague, she spent weekends and holidays in the company of Franz Kafka (whom she knew as “Uncle Franz”), and Gustav Mahler, Sigmund Freud, and Rainer Maria Rilke were friendly with her mother. When Alice moved to Israel after the war, Golda Meir attended her house concerts, as did Arthur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Isaac Stern. Until the end of her life Alice, who lived in London, practiced piano for hours every day. Despite her imprisonment in Theresienstadt and the murders of her mother, husband, and friends by the Nazis, and much later the premature death of her son, Alice was victorious in her ability to live a life without bitterness. She credited music as the key to her survival, as well as her ability to acknowledge the humanity in each person, even her enemies. A Century of Wisdom is the remarkable and inspiring story of one woman’s lifelong determination—in the face of some of the worst evils known to man—to find goodness in life. It is a testament to the bonds of friendship, the power of music, and the importance of leading a life of material simplicity, intellectual curiosity, and never-ending optimism. Praise for A Century of Wisdom “An instruction manual for a life well lived.”—The Wall Street Journal “As if her 108 years of experience alone were not enough to coax you, there is the overarching fact that draws people to Herz-Sommer’s story: She survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp and is believed to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor.”—The Washington Post “I have rarely read a Holocaust survivor’s memoir as enriching and meaningful. Get Caroline Stoessinger’s book, A Century of Wisdom, telling Alice Herz-Sommer’s tale of her struggles and triumphs. You will feel rewarded.”—Elie Wiesel “A Century of Wisdom is a stately and elegant book about an artist who found deliverance in her passion for music. Caroline Stoessinger writes with a special purity, as though she were arranging pearls on a string of silk.”—Pat Conroy “As one of millions who fell in love on YouTube with Alice Herz-Sommer, a 108-year-old Holocaust survivor who plays the piano and greets each day with no hint of bitterness, I’m grateful to Caroline Stoessinger for writing a book that explains this mystery. You will be inspired by the story of Alice Herz-Sommer, who lives to teach us.”—Gloria Steinem “I walked on the cobblestones in Prague for thirty years wondering who might have walked on them before me: Kafka, Freud, Mahler. It feels like a miracle to have encountered, in Caroline Stoessinger’s wonderful book, Alice Herz-Sommer, who walked with them all—with a heart full of music.”—Peter Sis “A Century of Wisdom is universal and will enrich readers for generations to come.”—Itzhak Perlman

A clear, concise, and essential guide providing key information about cancer survivors and their needs—and how those needs can best be met. Excellent Care for Cancer Survivors: A Guide to Fully Meet Their Needs in Medical Offices and in the Community is edited by the director of the Lance Armstrong Cancer Survivorship Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and comprised of articles by experts from that prestigious institution, from the Harvard Medical School, and other leading cancer programs. Its goal is simple: to assure that the millions of cancer survivors in the United States get the help they need to live life to its fullest. This timely work, enriched by conversations with cancer survivors themselves, explains the array of challenges that may affect survivors, from physical needs to psychological, spiritual, sexual, and financial issues. Topics such as nutrition and exercise are also addressed, as are risk assessment, rehabilitation, and possible cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy. A final section explains the nuts and bolts of starting a professional cancer survivorship program, from staffing to fundraising, exploring what can and is being done to help cancer survivors in different settings achieve optimal health and quality of life.

If you're one of the nearly 116 million Americans trying to lose weight, only to find that every diet you've tried has failed you, you are a diet survivor. You can step off the destructive diet bandwagon and reclaim your self-esteem, positive body image and a happy, healthy life. These 60 inspiring lessons will give you the tools you need to change your relationship with food, your body and yourself. Dieting is hazardous to your health. Diets don't work and they won't work, and yo-yo dieting will make you fatter. This book can show you how to: * Never diet again and allow your weight to stabilize * Stop feeling guilty about eating the foods you love * Free up all that mental energy to be more productive and have more fun in life * Get in touch with physical hunger and learn to love your body Give up the vicious cycle and stop overeating. Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel are sisters and therapists specializing in eating problems and weight issues. Each holds a Master's degree in Social Work and has over 20 years of clinical experience in the field of eating disorders. They are the authors of Beyond a Shadow of a Diet.

Medical and Psychosocial Care of the Cancer Survivor is a comprehensive clinical reference for care of the cancer survivor from early post-treatment through long term care. Expertly written by thirty-five renowned oncologists and other specialists from the Yale Cancer Center, this resource covers psychosocial sequelae of cancer therapy epidemiology, pathogenesis, and risk reduction, medical sequalae of cancer therapy, and patient vignettes.