Name: The Choice
Rating: 4.661290322580645 (62 reviews)
ISBN: 9781501130786

Edith Eva Eger

Esmé Schwall Weigand

A powerful, moving memoir, and a practical guide to healing, written by Dr. Edie Eger, an eminent psychologist whose own experiences as a Holocaust survivor help her treat patients suffering from traumatic stress disorders.

Embrace the Possible

The Choice

I found this book compelling and emotional, sweet and sad, I could empathise with the sisterhood contexts. Overall a nice journey with the author into her inner life and into myself as well. 

Nina Alexandra Bacrau

Amazing memoir of a holocaust survivor! Her story of survival + life after, leading into her work as a psychologist is a pure masterpiece! 

Zoey Novak

Róbert Istók

I could not put this book down. It is one of the most powerful books I've ever read.

On one part, it is heartbreaking what she and her family had to go through, and how horrible people can be. 

On the other, it is a truly inspiring story about the choices we make in life and about the thoughts we put in our heads. With only one thought we can influence our lives in profound ways. It can be a difference between life and death. Between going forward and giving up. Love and hate. 

No matter what stage are you in your life, give it a read, as it will be life-changing!

Tiffany Tittes

I loved this book. I had a hard time putting it down, she’s so optimistic and has an answer for all of her struggles. Her relationships with her mother and siblings were so interesting. I’m happy she wrote this book! History was not my favorite subject so I felt like I was learning something with every turn of the page.

Dana Kraft

This makes me want to read Man’s Search for Meaning again. I enjoyed this book but not as much as I remember being inspired by Frankl. I will remember the distinction she makes between “reacting” and “responding”. I was also struck by the connection between her description of finding the possible or good path forward regardless of the circumstance and the more explicitly religious books I’ve read recently. This book is not explicitly religious in any way, but I found it reinforcing my own beliefs which happen to be Catholic.

Cindy Lieberman

This is much more than a firsthand account of what happened to a 16 year-old Jewish girl in Hungary, her parents, and sisters immediately before, during, and (for some of them) after the Holocaust. Dayenu - it would have been enough - had it done no more than tell that painful, true story. At first I thought it was the female version of Viktor Frankel’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.” But Dr. Eger has taken her experience and shown us how personal choice is the way forward. Her life in America, her determination to succeed — to prove herself worthy of having survived while so many others were killed — is both gut-wrenching and inspirational. Dayenu. Later as a practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Eger describes her encounter with a new patient: a hate-filled neo-Nazi in a brown shirt and heavy boots. Her anguished reaction, and subsequent decision (no spoilers!), makes this a particularly meaningful and important contribution to combatting the current increase in white supremacy. 
The audiobook is wonderfully brought to life by the noted actress Tovah Feldshuh. A moving performance of the story of a woman whose long life and many contributions have left an indelible mark. Highly recommended.

Astha Prakash

What a beautiful, life-affirming book. Can't believe she wrote this when she was ninety. I found myself completely engrossed in Edith's story of surviving in Auschwitz and then later building a new life. This book forces you to look deep within, provokes you to think, to feel everything you don't want to, and then... slowly heals you. I simply could not stop reading this. Her stories are going to stay with me for days, possibly years.

A New York Times Bestseller “I’ll be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story…The Choice is a reminder of what courage looks like in the worst of times and that we all have the ability to pay attention to what we’ve lost, or to pay attention to what we still have.”—Oprah “Dr. Eger’s life reveals our capacity to transcend even the greatest of horrors and to use that suffering for the benefit of others. She has found true freedom and forgiveness and shows us how we can as well.” —Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate “Dr. Edith Eva Eger is my kind of hero. She survived unspeakable horrors and brutality; but rather than let her painful past destroy her, she chose to transform it into a powerful gift—one she uses to help others heal.” —Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle Winner of the National Jewish Book Award and Christopher Award At the age of sixteen, Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. Hours after her parents were killed, Nazi officer Dr. Josef Mengele, forced Edie to dance for his amusement and her survival. Edie was pulled from a pile of corpses when the American troops liberated the camps in 1945. Edie spent decades struggling with flashbacks and survivor’s guilt, determined to stay silent and hide from the past. Thirty-five years after the war ended, she returned to Auschwitz and was finally able to fully heal and forgive the one person she’d been unable to forgive—herself. Edie weaves her remarkable personal journey with the moving stories of those she has helped heal. She explores how we can be imprisoned in our own minds and shows us how to find the key to freedom. The Choice is a life-changing book that will provide hope and comfort to generations of readers.

Laura Antonella Miscione

"We don’t know where we’re going, we don’t know what’s going to happen, but no one can take away from you what you put in your own mind." A young girl who is forced to dance for none other than Mengele, takes us on a journey through life. This book is an anthem to freedom....READ IT!

Edith Eger

THE AWARD-WINNING SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Even in hell, hope can flower 'I'll be forever changed by her story' - Oprah Winfrey ‘Extraordinary ... will stick with you long after you read it’ - Bill Gates 'One of those rare and eternal stories you don't want to end' - Desmond Tutu 'A masterpiece of holocaust literature. Her memoir, like her life, is extraordinary, harrowing and inspiring in equal measure' - The Times Literary Supplement ‘I can’t imagine a more important message for modern times. Eger’s book is a triumph' - The New York Times In 1944, sixteen-year-old ballerina Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. Separated from her parents on arrival, she endures unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. When the camp is finally liberated, she is pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. The horrors of the Holocaust didn't break Edith. In fact, they helped her learn to live again with a life-affirming strength and a truly remarkable resilience. The Choice is her unforgettable story. It shows that hope can flower in the most unlikely places.

A true story of hope

Stephanie

Have always been so so interested in ww2 and especially Jew's experiences in the camps and this book was amazing amazing. Also the fact that she was a ballerina really connected with me as a parallel to my priveliged life. 

Valentina Cherednichenko

It took me months to read this book, not because it was badly written or boring, but because it hurt so much. It is split into to section and my god, did I cry during the first half of the book. If you have the opportunity, read this. But read it and ponder it. Don't rush thru it, but let the story sit down in the room with you and share the space. It is really something special.

Amy Arthun Lorton 

I had such a strong connection to this book. I want to
say I loved it, but that’s not the right word since I’m sad she had the material to write it. “I appreciated it” seems too minimal for my feelings. I’ll be interested to discuss (in my book club) what word in the English language can be used to describe everyone’s feelings towards this book. It’s complicated- it’s like a new word needs to be created.

David

I cannot describe how much I have liked and been moved by this book. A moving story of healing and overcoming. Whoever is lucky enough to read this book will learn about life, pain and overcoming

angela

Giulia

Katie Hosler

Paige Wanner

In 1944, sixteen-year-old Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. There she endured unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. Over the coming months, Edith's bravery helped her sister to survive, and led to her bunkmates rescuing her during a death march. When their camp was finally liberated, Edith was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. In The Choice, Dr Edith Eger shares her experience of the Holocaust and the remarkable stories of those she has helped ever since. Today, she is an internationally acclaimed psychologist whose patients include survivors of abuse and soldiers suffering from PTSD. She explains how many of us live within a mind that has become a prison, and shows how freedom becomes possible once we confront our suffering. Like Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, The Choice is life changing. Warm, compassionate and infinitely wise, it is a profound examination of the human spirit, and our capacity to heal.

Denys

Irina Nicula

THE AWARDWINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'Eger's remarkable spirit shines through in every word' Stylist In 1944, sixteen-year-old Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. There she endured unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. Over the coming months, her bravery helped her sister to survive and led to her bunkmates rescuing her during a death march. When their camp was finally liberated, Edith was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. In The Choice, Edith Eger shares her life, remarkable because her years in the concentration camp encouraged her to find a hope and resilience that most of us would never think was possible. It wasn't easy but, as she tried to find a future for herself after the Second World War, partly by helping many others through their own versions of trauma, she discovered an honesty, strength and empowerment within herself that makes for a memorable and inspiring read. Compelling, truly remarkable, and ultimately triumphant, The Choice is the unforgettable memoir of a woman who has seen the worst and lived the best.

The Choice Embrace the Possible

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