Edith Eger Books In Order
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
The Choice | (2017) | |
The Gift | (2020) | |
The Ballerina of Auschwitz | (2024) |
Edith Eger
Edith Eger is a non-fiction author and psychologist in the US. Eger is a Holocaust survivor who has written about her experience with the Nazis and the journey to recovery. She also informs us of the tools she uses to help those suffering from the post-traumatic disorder to rebuild their lives. After the torture in the various concentration camps, Edith was rescued and taken to American Fields hospitals. She married Béla (Albert) Eger, a fellow Jewish survivor she met at the hospital, and they had a daughter. The couple later fled to the US in 1949 after a communist threat. Edith started university in the US and had her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology by 1978. She has been practicing ever since and has written memoirs about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor and a therapist.
The Gift
The Gift is a self-help book that documents the author’s journey to healing and freedom. The book also serves as an encouragement to those who have experienced trauma and gone through deep pain. Recovery is possible, but it only begins when those undergoing it break out of their mental prisons. Eger went through the worst abuse at the hands of the Nazis, and, shockingly, she survived to tell the story. She spent some time in prison, but she confesses that the worst prison is the one she put herself in her mind. The author covers the twelve imprisoning beliefs that hindered her progress until she decided to confront them head-on. These beliefs include fear, guilt, stress, secrets, anger, avoidance, and shame.
Aside from retelling her story, which is inspiring enough, the author also tells her patients’ story. Through these anecdotes, she covers universal challenges that most of us have encountered at a point in our lives. In every chapter, Eger asks thought-provoking questions that will make you reflect inwards and see what you can do to make yourself better. Are you sure that you are evolving? Are you anything like the person you would like to be married to? With empathy, humor, and insight, the author covers common challenges and vulnerabilities while providing workable solutions for them all.
If you are looking to destroy your personal prisons and make your life better, this book is perfect. The author takes you through the steps to healing so that you can enjoy your life. This book also comes with a message of hope. Seeing all Eger has been through and the kind of life she has lived after all these experiences, it is clear there is hope. The author is a clear testimony that dark times do last, and a great life awaits those who yearn to work on whatever is limiting them. Dr. Eger’s story is both inspirational and humbling. Amazingly, those things meant to break her made her stronger.
The Gift reminds us to live our life to the fullest. Aside from reminding you to enjoy your life, the author also provides enough ways you can make this a reality. DR Eger provides you with twelve keys that you can use to unlock your mind. You may be wounded, but there is no reason why you cannot be whole. Everything you learn in each chapter is consolidated towards the end, so it is easy to go through the lessons whenever you want. Whatever your journey, a lot in this book will speak to you. The self-help book will also show you that healing from trauma and pain is possible while it is hard work.
The Choice
The Choice tells the author’s story and how she freed her mind through forgiveness and letting go. After realizing that there is nothing she could do about the hardships of the past or those who hurt her and others so much, Eger decided to rise above it all and change her life. The author confesses it is no easy task. It takes hard work and determination to work through trauma, anger, and fear. However, healing is the only sure way to live a fulfilling life. Once you take charge of your emotions and reactions, you can be anything you set your mind to be.
Edith’s story shows how life changed for those who went through the Holocaust. One day she is a ballerina looking forward to the Olympics only to be put in concentration camps, the gas chamber, and go through numerous horrifying experiences. The author was lucky to have survived all this, but the horror stayed with her long after she was saved. Edith does not sugarcoat the hopelessness and desperation she and others went through in concentration camps. Many chapters here will move you to tears, and you can’t help but get angry at the injustice the Jews went through.
While there are many books on this horrifying time in history, Edith’s story will make you look at everything in a new light. What happened in those torture reads like historical fiction until you read a story as personal as this one. As a sixteen-year-old, Edith went through a lot, and it is admirable that she still chose to remain positive. The author is courageous enough to show the ugly side of healing. She admits that it took her many years to be liberated, and post-traumatic depression was a part of her until she made a choice to deal with the past and change her life.
The Choice is a touching story of suffering, resilience, and courage. It is a painful enough story to read that will move you to tears a few times. However, the story is also inspirational, uplifting, and filled with hope. The book contains detailed information on the Holocaust by a person who survived to tell her story. Many died, including the author’s parents and relatives, and she reveals these people’s tortures in their last days. However, the author’s focus is not so much on the heartaches. Hers is a message of hope and a reminder that something great can come out of such darkness. Love can make us forgive those who wanted to destroy our lives, and it is possible to enjoy a full and happy life after traumatic and heart-breaking events.