Thought leader reactions to Questions of the Spirit
“Love and loss are two sides of the same coin. Brent Green’s deeply insightful book explores both sides with equal rigor, skill and passion. This book is, ultimately, a guide to being fully human. We are mortal beings and Questions of the Spirit shows readers how we can revel in and be enriched by the truth of that mortality.”
—Dr. Bill Thomas
Author, Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper and More Connected Life
“You will read this book with joy as a reminder of how to keep our hearts open, even in the face of the inevitable losses we all must endure. It is truly a gift of love.”
— Jed Diamond, Ph.D.
Author, Male Menopause, The Enlightened Marriage
“The depth and flow of the narrative kept me engaged, helping me learn more about myself along the way.”
— Carol Orsborn, Ph.D.
Author, Fierce with Age, The Spirituality of Age
“I was overwhelmed by the feeling of a comforting spiritual presence, which grew as the book plunged deeply into the great existential questions of life.”
— Rev. Dr. William B. Randolph
Director of Aging and Older Adult Ministries, The United Methodist Church
“Reading this book after experiencing a personal loss is like having your own support group with you all the time.”
— Ed Pittock
Founder, Home Care Standards Bureau, Society of Certified Senior Advisors
“Questions of the Spirit begins a much-needed process of asking questions that go to the heart of our denial of death…”
— Mark McGann, M.A., J.D.
Hospice Chaplain, VITAS Healthcare
“Each chapter is followed by questions for personal reflection or group discussion that will inspire readers to contemplate their own rarely explored beliefs and values.”
— David Cox
President, Professional Testing
“Brent is doing something very, very important here and the book is going to be of huge value to people.”
— Harry R. Moody, Ph.D.
Vice President of Academic Affairs, AARP (ret), Author, The Five Stages of the Soul
“Questions of the Spirit is a profound gift. I was so moved by Brent’s story of loss and grief and how he has harnessed that with wisdom, spirit, intellect and compassion …”
— Helen Dennis
Specialist in Aging, Employment & The New Retirement
“I have savored every page. It’s almost like reading my own history. It makes the book so meaningful. Truly a tour-de-force!”
— Dawn Lehman
Author, Smart Talk
“This is one of the most introspective books on death and dying that I have ever read. The questions Brent raises are deeply insightful as to who we are and what we value. I found myself moved to tears several times as I read of his own journey with the loss of his sister and reminded of my own.”
— Frank Baysore
Founder, Fiduciary Services, LLC
“Beautifully wordsmithed by a masterful writer, Brent shares his personal journey of exploration, understanding, and resolution. This work makes you ponder and realize new insights about your relationship to life, living, and passing on. Some will find it therapeutic, others cathartic, and still others comforting.”
— Mark S.A. Smith
Sales and Marketing Guru, Founder, Bija Company
“Brent thoughtfully shares his depth of personal experience and expertise regarding death and grief. These experiences, deeply personal yet universal, remain profound challenges to us all. Thank you for this direct but gently offered guidance.”
— Barry D. Epstein, J.D.
President, Savvy Aging
A handbook seeks to help readers survive loss and grow as a result. The latest nonfiction work from Brent Green (Generation Reinvention, 2010, etc.) centers on an alarming reality for baby boomers: the prevalence of personal loss in their lives. The author alerts readers at the outset that he has lost many important people in his life–grandparents, aunts, uncles, and most tellingly his sister–and these deaths have motivated him to write a book addressing some of the essential questions surrounding the whole experience. Is there value in suffering? Can it make someone stronger? Is there more to existence than the life humans see on Earth? What are the virtues of showing mercy, even to those who seem not to warrant it? What changes occur when a person endures a major loss? What steps can readers take to prepare their own loved ones for their inevitable deaths? This last question is echoed throughout the volume by Green’s frequent invocations of Randy Pausch’s 2008 bestseller, The Last Lecture, in which that author makes exactly this kind of life summation for his children to consult after his death. Green’s work sensitively elaborates on the larger questions raised by Pausch’s book, using end-of-chapter discussion questions to help readers examine their own behavior at key moments. ‘Each of us is likely to confront at some point in our lives the choice to be merciful or not,’ Green writes at one point, following it up with the question: ‘When you have punished someone in the past, how could the outcome and consequences have been improved through mercy?’ These questions, as well as his many citations of modern motivational and spiritual authors, give this guide a very inviting conversational feel, a sense that Green is helping rather than merely lecturing. His reminders to readers to remember their blessings especially when times seem darkest will likely speak directly to those dealing with loss. A soulful exploration of the way humans love and how they cope with death.
— Kirkus Reviews
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