Is Your Life Successful? Answers and Anecdotes from over 200 Everyday People

In this contemplative volume, OB-GYN Boehm (Doctors Cry, Too) considers what makes a successful life through a wide assortment of interviews. Nearing retirement and reflecting on his life, Boehm wondered how others defined success at the end of one’s days. To answer the question, he interviewed those from diverse socioeconomic situations and different stages of life. In response, most explain they’ve succeeded if they have strong family ties, solid friendships, and work that feels meaningful. Filled with eloquent, sincere answers, the results are truly touching. As a wealth manager expresses: “While financial assets give one security and perhaps freedom, they do not define success. I have seen many individuals with every earthly pleasure at their disposal and yet still unfulfilled.” Beverly, a strong-minded paraplegic, reminds readers that “her definition of a successful life is one in which ‘I have had a purposeful life.’ ” One of Boehm’s most noteworthy, insightful concepts is the idea of success by proxy: success is one’s children being safe and doing well, rather than one’s own personal gains. For readers who enjoy the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this soothing work will reassure that all one needs is love. (Oct.)