The Gift

This was less powerful than The Choice, Eger's memoir and introduction to her philosophy of life that informs her psychotherapy practice. In The Gift she details more of the latter, in 12 chapters focusing on different thought patterns we can use to change ourselves and meet our lives with more courage and inner strength. Not much was new, it's all good psychological advice, but coming through her perspective as a Holocaust survivor it's particularly valuable; one can't say that she herself has not known adversity. Missing is any awareness of more recent advances in neuroscience and trauma therapy that go beyond talk and cognitive therapy alone. I would really like to know Dr. Eger's thoughts on this field - maybe in the next book.