Book Review ~ Bounce: Learning To Thrive Through Loss, Tragedy, And Heartache by Aaron Fruh

Bounce: Learning To Thrive Through Loss, Tragedy, And Heartache by Aaron Fruh is a book about cultivating resilience in order to "press on regardless", even when life gets hard.

Starting each chapter with a real-life story to illustrate the power of resilience in a specific situation or through utilizing a certain skill, Aaron explains that resilience is all about learning to bounce back during hard times. in the second part of the book, he focuses on four resilience blockers and how to overcome each. The last section is designed to help you learn from the past in order to make a plan for handling rough situations in the future. Each chapter concludes with questions to reflect on and a "bounce challenge" to journal and reflect on your progress and goals for each section.

I found parts of the book to drag on or jump around enough that I was left wondering where Aaron was headed with the information he was sharing, or found myself losing track of the main issue at hand. Other than that, the overall flow was pretty smooth and Aaron did a good job at forming a natural progression through the sections.

My main complaint would be that I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what type of loss this book would be good for, or during what season of the grieving process it would be ideal to venture through without pouring salt on open wounds. In my personal life, I've experienced more depression, disconnection, and disappointment (with myself and others), than I have direct loss. From the losses I have dealt with, my guess would be that this book is overall useful for anyone trying to figure out how to move on after they've reached the point where they feel as though they might be starting to try to heal. Although, certain chapters and sections may resonate better than others, meaning that while the book emphasizes the importance of learning to "press on regardless", you really need to be determined to do that from page one - while letting the book help you find the roadmap on how to get there. 3/5 stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary print copy of this book from the publisher, Baker Books, for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

About The Author (copied from back cover):

Aaron Fruh is the author of The Decree of Esther and The Forgotten Blessing and a weekly guest on the nationally syndicated radio program Nothing but Truth with Crane Durham, which airs on the American Family Radio Network. He and his wife, Sharon, have four children and three grandchildren and live in Point Clear, Alabama. Learn more at www.aaronfruh.com.

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