Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

Option B is one of THE most absorbing books I’ve ever read. 1. Option B is so well written, absorbing and warm, it could make anyone grieving feel less lonely – I know it did me. I have one child who has very significant special needs, and both my parents died expectantly many years ago. I miss them every single day. I’ve never read anything like Option B that has helped me acknowledge these challenges. I’m amazed by how a book could validate my feelings of loss – for what might have been – while also encouraging me to consider what is possible. Option B is a beautiful, persuasive call to action, honoring our sadness without allowing those feelings to overwhelm us. In the immediate hours after finishing Option B, I began to think it was possible not just to resist feelings of despair but how to become stronger. You can’t manufacture hope. You can’t dictate emotion. You just have to feel it, and I urge anyone who is staggered by grieving to read Option B as soon as you can. 2. Option B teaches us about resilience. I thought I understood resilience, but I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought. Perseverance, I learned, is not simply a random trait, but it can be discovered and nurtured. That’s a powerful thought, and a reminder that this book has so much density of goodness. 3. The theory of Option B is fascinating – as I understand it, that is Grant’s domain, the research. In addition to teaching us about what resilience really is, Option B contends that everyone actually can become more resilient. Looking through all the endnotes (175 of them), I am grateful that Grant sorted through this research (much of it is his or his colleagues) and that he and Sandberg wove it into the narrative. I want to read many of the sources in the endnotes, learn more, and continue on this journey. Oh my God – who can make readers want to read endnotes! These brilliant thinkers and doers can. 4. Option B is also a stunning parenting book and a wonderful way to look in the mirror. While I thought this was going to be a book about grief, it was far more. I felt so much relief reading such practical advice about children and grief and children and loss and children and doing what will help children grow rather than just what will make me feel better as a parent. 5. Option B really teaches SO much important stuff in such a kind way. For example, I’m one of those many parents who thought they understood Carol Dweck’s “mindset” work. I now get that I’m just at the start of this. And Sandberg and Grant help us without making us feel stupid or inadequate as some other parenting books do (though not by design of course). So many people like me will be able to become better parents and workers and friends from Option B. It’s like the authors both have modeled all this amazing stuff for the world through this remarkable page-turner – by telling us Sheryl’s story. How incredible the degree to which Option B just helped me identify changeable stuff in the last two hours. I’m hopeful about changing my behavior now that I see what can come of it, especially for my children, and the rest of my family. Thank you to the authors for opening this remarkable window into resilience and for providing so much research about it. I was so moved that Sandberg could be so brave and share so much about her husband Dave’s death in the name of teaching others. Reading Option B (and I’ve been reading it nonstop since I got it) makes me understand how I can be a better person. Thank you to the authors for making this possible and for writing this absolutely arresting book. It's a tour de force - get it as soon as you can! And get it for someone who you think is grieving, either in the traditional sense, or maybe very non-traditional sense.

I had to read this book for an HR class. After reading this book, I feel as if the stories brought out in this book can help others through hard times. The way the book is written is easy to read and I think really makes the reader think about life and how to handle tough situations. The Author's story is humbling as she was thrust into a tough position. She had many hard decisions that needed to be made. Instead of just letting life go by, she was strong and made something out of the tragedy. Great book and I would recommend others read it. Even an HR professional could recommend this book to employees as it really is very good at potential situations and dealing with these situations.

Not every person has suffered trauma or devastation in their lives. For those who have not, it’s not over yet, and this is a not so gentle world we are living in. Not a wish for misfortune, just a heads up to not be surprised if it happens to you. You will see the world in a different way. I can tell you that. This book is about grief, pain, adversity, and suffering. It is told as a true story narrative of Sheryl Sandberg’s loss of her husband, the father of her children. The co-author, Adam Grant is one of many people who encourage her along the way as she processes the grief of her loss. His advice and counseling is throughout the book. In the first pages she writes of how she met her husband, and of the magic of their relationship and their family. Then she describes finding him collapsed at a gym while they were on vacation in Mexico. He dies shortly thereafter. That sets the stage for what will follow. You are taken through her journey through the pain of telling her children their father is dead, and of countless moments in her day to day life that presented a new challenge. Littered throughout the book are pieces of advice and insights from people in her life, and also brief descriptions of relevant scientific research about how people grieve and recover from trauma. The book has an overall uplifting tone, and a sense of possibility and optimism about the prospects life offers after a tragic loss. This book is not for everyone. Some people have had fortunate circumstances for their entire lives. If you think you’ve got it hard because you started out in life with only “a small loan of a million dollars”, not much here will resonate. But if you’re a survivor of child abuse, terrorist attacks, domestic violence, or if you lost someone you love, or if you’ve been devastated and destroyed in some other way, I recommend this. I felt a genuine connection to the author’s story and it was enlightening and therapeutic. The book’s name “Option B” is meant to mean the option we didn’t plan for. Option A was to not have your father die while you were young, or have your children’s father or mother die, or be abused by priests, or have drug addiction pour devastation all over your life, or get date raped by that person you so believed in. Since Option A isn’t possible for some of us, and we will never get to go back in time to change it, we have to make the most of Option B. In this author’s case, Option B was to go on living and make the most of life without her husband. For you Option B may be different, but there are common threads to how we react to grief or trauma. I got my $16 out of this book, and then some, and I hope you do to.

Extremely wonderful book. Easy to understand for the common people even without psychology background. 1. Presentation style is extremely good;. Inspiring for people to go ahead with their respective lives with all sort of adversity in all stages of life and development. I have informed, inspired few of my friends to read this book, gave them my copy of the book to read, made them to visit the OptionB website, etc,. 2. The challenges I find is the support system/groups for any sort of problem in any area is most easily available in United States, whereas in other developing countries like India, finding such support groups/system is a challenging task. We can see this itself as a challenge and must be willing to create support groups/systems in this situation for different specialties (Option B). It will be good if this book gets translated into many local languages to reach out to non-English speaking audiences in India and other countries. Highly recommend this book for anyone. No second thoughts about buying this book. WORTH IT...

I have loved to feel honesty and heart lying behind any chosen word. I have appreciated as well the choice to give concrete advice so that we bounce forward with more ease while facing similar situations. Moreover, the layout of the book is original. Thank you Sheryl (and Adam) for sharing your story (and other people’s stories), which has already a meaningful impact inspiring me to become and to act as a better person. Sheryl, I sincerely hope that today there are both a smile on your face and a smile in your heart as small as they are…

I found the book very helpful. We recently had a great loss in our family. I think Sheryl has a sensitive style of writing but also a positive and uplifting way of making you feel like you're not alone. Grief was very sudden for our family with no way to prepare for the heartache that was coming. Sheryl takes those feelings that are hard to talk about and by writing about other people's and her own struggles you find some normalcy some how. I recommend this book for anyone who has suffered loss either directly or indirectly. You will find words in Option B to help yourself and others.

大事な人を失った悲しみや人生で起こるトラウマ的な出来事をどのようにして克服するかが書かれている。勉強になった。

As this was written in partnership with a physiologist there were some really helpful tips to healing - from grief, or any type of traumatic experience.