Includes index

Running counter to society's current prevailing message that things should always run smoothly--or, at least, appear to--and that failure or mistakes of any sort are to be avoided at all costs, The Gift of Adversity shows that such setbacks are inevitable. Indeed, engaging with our own failures and defeats is one of the only ways we are able to live authentic and meaningful lives. The book illuminates how each different type of setback carries its own challenges and has the potential to yield its own form of wisdom. Using stories from his own life--including his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa, his years after suffering a violent attack from a stranger, and his career as a psychiatrist--as well as case studies and discussions with well-known figures such as Viktor Frankl and David Lynch, Rosenthal reveals that true innovation, emotional resilience, wisdom, and dignity can only come from confronting and understanding the adversity we have experienced

Part I.

Youth. Thumbs must go ; An accident ; Crime and punishment ; Persistence and fragility of memory ; Know your brain ; Know your body ; Be yourself ; Weight of history ; Mrs. Brown's "Rular" ; All the lonely people ; Lena and Lucas ; Lessons from a fly ; Fixer ; Long reach of sexual trauma ; Trouble with my father ; Mysteries of mood ; Medical school ; A brush with the South African police ; A brutal attack ; Born again ; Boot camp and the kindness of strangers ; Homeland ; Namibia ; Leaving home --

Part II.

Adulthood. New York City ; Hostile takeover ; Supervising a supervisor ; What are the questions? ; Leaving the NIMH ; Losing and choosing ; Pride and prejudice and sociopaths ; Lessons from a scam ; A ghost from the past ; Don't hold on to grudges ; Hold on to dreams ; Taking responsibility ; Reciprocity in relationships ; Learning something from everyone ; Telling a story ; Gift of meditation ; By force of habit ; Quest for excellence --

Part III.

Heroes. Death in the desert ; High-stakes negotiations at midnight ; A cousin in trouble ; Meeting with Viktor Frankl --

Part IV.

Farewells. A patriarch takes his leave ; Dad's last day ; Death of Galadriel ; Appointment in Samarra ; Life after death ; It's never too late to say "I love you."