Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life

Resilience, by Eric Greitens, is a book I will re-read many times to come for the rest of my life. I am currently reading it for the fifth time and am still amazed at the life-changing wisdom the book contains. Packed with knowledge that's applicable in everyday life, ranging from ancient stoics to contemporary fashion designers, the tone of the book is one of humility and dignity. Greitens repeatedly reassures the reader he is in no way pretending to be exhaustive in his approach or knowledge, or claiming rights to the concepts he is describing - he is merely standing on the shoulders of giants, and tries to pass on their wisdom. The way the book is composed, in the form of letters to a friend who is is going through a rough patch, works extremely well, as it allows Greitens to touch on several of life's "big themes", such as Vocation, Identity, Death, and Friendship. Simultaneously Greitens weaves in his own experiences as a Navy Seal, as a humanitarian, as a Rhodes Scholar, as a boxing champion, and as a friend to his Navy Seals BUD/s buddy, who is struggling hard after hitting a low in his personal life. This is a book so well written, so eloquently worded, and so courageous in scope, tackling the big themes in life without being arrogant and preachy, but truly aiming to provide insights in how to overcome hardships in life in order to continue to live a life worth living. And most importantly: Mr. Greitens has skin in the game. He does not just tell his readers "how to live a better life"; he himself is a Navy Seal that's also a Rhodes scholar, an Oxford Boxing Champion who spent years doing humanitarian work. Truly a Homo Universalis in the best historical sense of the word, someone I look up to immensely. Mr. Greitens not only talks the talk, he leads by example, and walks the walk better than 99% of other writers that tell readers how to live better. Truly inspirational. I hope Mr Greitens will become president of the USA one day, and not only Governor of Missouri. For now: Do not hesitate. Read this book, and thank me later.

I absolutely love this book and I am not of a military mindset whatsoever. This is a compassionate and realistic exchange between 2 Navy Seals (although it is more of one soldier giving advice to another soldier who is suffering) When I read this book I often only read a few pages and then put the book down in order to contemplate the message/meaning in the author's advice. It would be easy for me to breeze through this book since I am very moved and inspired by the author's words - but if I did that, I'd be missing something. The author pulls from the philosophical (especially Stoic) world, the spiritual world, the world of science, history and poetry. Most of all he is practical in his advice. None of the references to poetry or philosophy, etc., are lofty or written from an ivory tower. They are grounded. I was actually quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I was surprised how much I came to better understand the military and how more receptive I became to those I know - who serve or have served. I saw the author interviewed by Jon Stewart, which led me to this book. I tend to lean on the liberal side and the author is more conservative. In a time, when we as a country tend to be polarizing this book is such a wonderful meeting ground. I saw recently that the author is running for Governor - and I do not hold to many of the political views he holds (if I lived in his state I probably would not vote for him). That being said, I admire this man, this book and the work he has done with veterans. I hope you give this book a read, especially if you tend to be more liberal (like me), because here is a place that I find common ground to stand on. PS I gifted this book to 2 veterans I know and they love it.

This newest book by Rhodes Scholar, Navy Seal, and humanitarian Eric Greitens is different from the usual war stories and his first two books. Here Eric communicates via emails and letters with a returning vet who does not know who he even is on coming back to the US. Nothing makes sense to this vet. Homeless, unable to find a job...and suicidal. With each email Eric develops a trusting relationship with this vet. Because EVERY one of our vets returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries comes back to a society that no longer makes sense. Vets are so used to carrying their assault weapon with them at ALL times, they no longer know what do LITERALLY hold onto anymore. Still hypervigilant because vigilance kept you alive when everyone could be the enemy. The Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Boka Harum, and ISIS Iraqi and Afghani soldiers and police all wearing the garb of the Jihadist. Hijab Abaya for girls. Dishdasha and turban for men. Even the Iraq Army or Afghanistan armies that our vets trained to guard their own country turn and kill us. Eric is modest..just tells his story with love, empathy, and incredible compassion. These are NOT the three adjectives when you first think of our fighting forces. He brings humanity to the world that most of us dismiss...We hear that 8 MILLION people were killed in the Congo genocide--tribe vs tribe, then just move on to the next story or “clickbait” that catches our eye. Eric also decides to DO something. He created “The Mission Continues.” A support group AND a trust to help these returning vets NOT with charity but teaching them skills to learn to be someone else than a soldier, Marine, airman or sailor. And not just new skills, but a brotherhood and sisterhood where Vets could relate. Because only a returning vet truly understands what war does to your mind, spirit and mind. Eric now has three books. Read them all. Then help our returning vets. A “Thank you for your service” does nothing to help our vets return to society. This is a GREAT book!

The author shows a profound/admirable knowledge of history, mythology and philosophy. The book is structured in the form of letters to a former colleague of his, which is interesting and uncommon. You can read the chapters pretty much in random order. At times it gets a little boring and repetitive (if it was 50 pages shorter, the difference would be minimal). A good book for late adolescence/early adulthood provided that the reader loves reading books with a certain depth in the analysis and/or wants to build character with future-proof "bricks". Not a trivial goal...

RESILIENCE is a very good book, and Eric Greitens is a very good writer. It may be slightly over-rated at 5 stars, but if so, not by much. The good parts of RESILIENCE are very very good. I give it 5 stars for that reason, and, maybe more important, I give it 5 stars because this is a book we need to read, and message we need to receive. Being "resilient" is important to living a good life. Everyone gets knocked down; resilient people get back up, make a new plan, and carry on. Written as letters to his friend, Zach, this book is also written as a message (it would be an "order" if we were all in the military) to all of us. Be Resilient; remember your strengths; remember your values; get back up; make a new plan; carry on; one day at a time, etc. "Yes, Sir." is the answer he wants from us. There is advice, inspiration, lots (too much, perhaps) of history, philosophy, and many memorable and quotable sentences. On the down side, the chapters/letters are uneven, with some much better than others. Such is life. Overall, this may not be as good a book as THE HEART AND THE FIST, but it is still a very good book with a very good and very timely message for all of us. Nice going, Eric Greitens, Nice Going. For all of us, military and civilian alike, you make it very clear that "the mission continues." I am looking forward to your next publication already.

Fantastic book by Navy Seal and PhD Eric Greitens, who also wrote "The Heart and the Fist" - another recommended read - and who has been named one of the most influential leaders in America. This book is packed with practical wisdom about how to best live one's life to ones fullest potential. Greitens is obviously inspired by Marcus Aurelius' "Letters from a Stoic", and his books takes on a similar shape with the chapters consisting of a series of letters Greitens wrote to a navy seal friend of his, who after having served in many military missions and experienced a great deal of personal loss came to struggle greatly with what to do with and how to manage his life "after service". One of the key lessons of the book is that "service" never ends, and that to be truly happy and fulfilled we need to figure out how to constantly serve, in the sense that we must find work that inspires us, that we can do really well, and that brings great value to other people and so makes a dent in the task of making the world a better place for all of us. Greifens draws upon wisdom from the ancient Greeks, the stoics, and many other philosophical traditions. He quotes and interweaves the thoughts of a wide range of philosophers: from Socrates and Aristotle to Nietzsche, Thoreau, Emerson, and many more. I really like books about practical philosophy and with a strong connection to people's every day lives, and this is one of the - if not just simply "the - best book of this kind I've ever read.

very good book, awesome quality.

Incredible book. Very thought provoking and inspiring