Author:Sheryl Sandberg,Adam Grant
In 2015 Sheryl Sandberg’s husband, Dave Goldberg, died suddenly at the age of forty-eight. Sandberg and her two young children were devastated, and she was certain that their lives would never have real joy or meaning again.
Just weeks later, Sandberg was talking with a friend about the first father-child activity without a father. They came up with a plan for someone to fill in. “But I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend put his arm around her and said, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of Option B.”
Everyone experiences some form of Option B. We all deal with loss: jobs lost, loves lost, lives lost. The question is not whether these things will happen but how we face them when they do.
Thoughtful, honest, revealing and warm, OPTION B weaves Sandberg’s experiences coping with adversity with new findings from Adam Grant and other social scientists. The book features stories of people who recovered from personal and professional hardship, including illness, injury, divorce, job loss, sexual assault and imprisonment. These people did more than recover—many of them became stronger.
OPTION B offers compelling insights for dealing with hardships in our own lives and helping others in crisis. It turns out that post-traumatic growth is common—even after the most devastating experiences many people don’t just bounce back but actually bounce forward. And pre-traumatic growth is also possible: people can build resilience even if they have not experienced tragedy. Sandberg and Grant explore how we can raise strong children, create resilient communities and workplaces, and find meaning, love and joy in our lives.
“Dave’s death changed me in very profound ways,” Sandberg writes. “I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface and breathe again.”
Option B is the single wisest book about grief I have ever found ... I have tried to think of anyone who would not find Option B invaluable at some point in their life, and I can’t.
—— Decca Aitkenhead , GuardianRemarkable, generous, honest, [and] almost unbearably poignant … This is a book that will be quietly passed from hand to hand, and it will surely offer great comfort to its intended readers.
—— New York TimesIt's a humbling - and tearjerking - story of humanity.
—— Marisa Bate , The PoolI recommend this inspiring book to everyone around the world. None of us can escape sadness, loss, or life’s disappointments, so the best option is to find our Option B.
—— MALALA YOUSAFZAI, Nobel Peace Prize winnerSheryl writes about her own heartbreaking experience with a rare honesty. Then she and Adam translate her personal story into a powerful, practical guide for anyone trying to build resilience in their own lives, communities, and companies. It’s hard enough to resonate with readers. It’s even harder to help take concrete steps towards a better future. Option B does both.
—— BILL AND MELINDA GATES, co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationThoughtful, insightful, and compelling. Both individually and collectively, we all need to understand the power of rehabilitation, recovery, and redemption if we are to overcome adversity. This incredible book doesn’t avoid the loss and tragedy we all sometimes encounter, but it is animated by a resolve that is both inspiring and instructive.
—— BRYAN STEVENSON, author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice InitiativeOption B is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. Here are stories of sometimes unimaginable pain and loss, but also of how human beings nonetheless have the capacity to endure and even thrive. This book is not just an absorbing read. It also provides lessons that everyone needs to learn.
—— ATUL GAWANDE, author of Being MortalIlluminating, original, and deeply inspiring, Option B is one part riveting memoir, one part heal-your-heart boot camp, one part stories of others who learned to thrive in the face of profound loss: a practical, vital contribution to the literature on loss and resilience.
—— CHERYL STRAYED, author of WildAs someone who has spent the last 25 years immersed in the field of grief and bereavement I didn’t think I’d learn very much from Option B, but I did. It gave me useful ideas, ways of thinking and small steps that help rebuild a life after the death of someone we love. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant have succeeded in combining useful information with heartfelt stories, which is illuminating and helpful. It is a book I highly recommend.
—— JULIA SAMUEL, author of Grief WorksThis book perfectly walks the reader through the past, present, and future of trust as we know it. Rachel Botsman's expertise on this topic is unmatched. It's an absolute must-read for business leaders and everyday consumers alike
—— Nick Shapiro, Global Head of Trust & Risk Management, Airbnb and former Deputy CIA Deputy Chief of StaffBotsman rightly challenges us in this new era to ask the compelling questions about who, why and how we trust. Highly recommended
—— Tim Costello, CEO World Vision AustraliaIn Rachel Botsman's capable hands, the concept of 'trust' - and its changing shape over the ages - becomes clear and accessible. Utterly compelling
—— Dr Simon Longstaff, Executive Director of the Ethics CentreSharp, penetrating, and obsessively researched, this book will open your eyes to a phenomenon that is as important as it is impossible to ignore.
—— Leigh Gallagher, Senior Editor, FortuneAn absorbing, story-filled narrative that will leave readers with a new understanding of the phenomenon that drives life in our digital age
—— Kirkus ReviewsA sharp, thoughtful, sometimes-surprising account of how we build trust with strangers now.
—— Kirkus ReviewsIn a time when people are doubting experts, suspicious of the media, and losing faith in government and business, Rachel Botsman is here with a lucid analysis of what it takes to build and rebuild trust. Trust me: this is a book you need to read
—— Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE, ORIGINALS, and OPTION B with Sheryl SandbergRachel Botsman's eye-opening, timely book delves into the unfolding crisis of trust spreading throughout the world. She brilliantly describes how the established trust framework is undergoing a radical transformation as digital technologies take root in every facet of our lives. Read this book and you'll be ready for a revolution in trust that rewrites the rules of human interaction
—— Marc Benioff, Chairman & CEO, SalesforceBook of the Month
—— October , Financial TimesThis is a book that every adult reader should pick up to gain some perspective on how reliant we have become on technology, and how we can afford to approach it with more skepticism
—— The Literary Journal ReviewBotsman has found a rich theme here and a fascinating way of interpreting the technological change
—— Wall Street JournalTop 10 Business Bestseller
—— 800 CEO ReadTop 5 Tech Book of the Year
—— WIREDIn her witty new book technology author and TED celebrity Rachel Botsman tells us why it did not work. Who Can You Trust? reveals some deep truths
—— SpectatorBotsman guides the reader on an enjoyable accessible, but cautiously skeptical, tour through this hugely transformative, but barely recognized, shift in our sometimes-irrational approach to trust
—— Winnipeg Free PressAs Botsman drives deeper and darker, she sheds more and more light, her book [is] rapidly becoming brilliant
—— Dialogue