Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* Sandberg, author of the mega-hit Lean In (2013) and COO for Facebook, teams up with Wharton's top professor, Grant, also a best-selling author, most recently of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (2016), in this powerful treatise about overcoming life's toughest challenges. After Sheryl's husband, Dave, passed away unexpectedly in 2015, she was consumed by grief and terrified that their two children wouldn't have a normal, healthy childhood without their father. With the support of family, friends, and psychologist Grant, she was able to find her way back to happiness. Sandberg and Grant explore how we deal with adversity, but perhaps more important, they discuss how we can be fiercely resilient in the face of tragedy. Sandberg embraced the idea that when option A fails you, you must find another way. And so she moved on to option B. Sandberg and Grant weave her personal journey into a larger, more inclusive framework of adversity in this well-researched book of facts and sound advice that will serve as a guide to those impacted by life's wicked curve balls. Option B is not simply a self-help book for those who are suffering; rather, it is a richly informed, engaging read that will broaden readers' understanding of empathy and reveal the strength of the human spirit.--Smith, Patricia Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A memoir of the loss of a husband and finding a path forward beyond the grieving process.Sandberg (Lean In for Graduates: With New Chapters by Experts, Including Find Your First Job, Negotiate Your Salary, and Own Who You Are, 2014, etc.) was living a life with all of the fulfillments one could hope for. After a comfortable upbringing and education at Harvard, she worked her way up to become a vice president at Google and eventually the COO of Facebook. She presented a popular TED talk and then wrote a book on her "lean in" conceptualization of women in the workplace. However, no amount of professional accomplishment could prepare her for the sudden passing of her husband, Dave, in 2015, after which she had to figure out how to carry on as a mother of two and make the shattered pieces fit back together. This moving book is the result. Writing with Grant (Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, 2016, etc.), a highly rated professor at Wharton, Sandberg explores how to weather the storm of grief, applying concrete skills in addition to more complex theories of psychology about how to find meaning in life-changing circumstances. Going deeper and broader than the commonly understood stages of grief, the authors look at different factors that can stunt recovery after a losse.g., self-blame and the fear that the loss will permeate every aspect of life indefinitely. Sandberg shows her struggle with finding a comfort level regarding the sharing of her emotional status and learning when to push the level as well as when to respect it. The challenges of moving forward are immense beyond understanding for anyone outside of the experience; this accounting of Sandberg's resilience does for the process of grieving what her previous work has done for women in the workplace. A book that provides illuminating ways to make headway through the days when there doesn't seem to be a way forward. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

Sandberg, COO at Facebook and author of the national bestseller Lean In (CH, Dec'13, 51-2183), and Grant (management and psychology, Wharton School, Univ. of Pennsylvania) focus on the grieving process and becoming resilient amid tragedy and loss. During a travel getaway, Sandberg discovers her husband's lifeless body on a hotel gym floor. Readers follow the complexities of her grieving in a first-person, intimate account sprinkled with stories of resilient individuals around the world, along with coping strategies that may be helpful to readers. Though Sandberg is affluent and her boss is Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder and CEO, she notes that not every individual has the workplace flexibility and compassion afforded to her, making the case throughout the book for national policy and social changes. Sandberg promotes "the Platinum Rule: treat others as they want to be treated," as each person has specific personal needs and grieves uniquely. Raising resilient children after loss is also briefly discussed. To make for smooth reading, the studies cited are listed at the end of the book under a "Notes" section--this categorizes the book as less academic and more suited for a general audience. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. --Jorge Enrique Perez, Florida International University

Library Journal
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Best-selling author (Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will To Lead) and Facebook COO Sandberg teams with psychologist and writer Grant (Originals) to share her heartbreaking account of coping with husband Dave Goldberg's unexpected death at age 48. While the authors concede that everyone's story is different, they explore not only what they've learned about resilience but what others have gone through in order to find joy and strength after difficulty. Sandberg and Grant demonstrate how people can discover a new purpose in life by seeking meaning in tragedy and helping others escape the quagmire of despair. -VERDICT This captivating memoir -offers genuine hope. Highly -recommended. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.