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Resilience
What is it that enables some people to grow through adversity? Anne Deveson's engaging and thought-provoking exploration of this vital capacity of individuals and communities is, like her award-winning classic Tell Me I'm Here, a powerful combination of intellectual journey and personal memoir. Some people find the resilience to overcome adversity and suffering while others are overwhelmed and despair. Anne Deveson wanted to understand better why, and how, individuals and communities develop resilience. Anne's long career as journalist, documentary-maker and social-justice activist offered rich insights into the stories of the many spirited people and groups she has encountered in spheres such as disaster aid, war, mental illness, family breakdown and human rights. From her own life experience, she draws on vivid personal memoir (often refreshingly candid, such as the surprise of falling in love at nearly seventy, only to lose her soul-mate to cancer, which happened during the course of writing the book). In addition, Anne marshals information and recent research that has shed new light on her own understanding of resilience. Her exploration is an engaging intellectual and personal journey, bringing together factual research, memoir and reflection, with wisdom and gritty humour. It will be an inspiration to all victims of life's 'slings and arrows', as well as to those hoping to nurture in the young, or in their community, the resilience demanded by times of relentless change and growing insecurity.
312 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Anne Deveson
13 books7 followersAnne Deveson was a writer, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker with a long involvement in human rights issues. She was born in Kuala Lumpur; spent her childhood moving between Malaysia, Britain and Australia, then worked as a journalist for the BBC and the London bureau of the New York Times. In Australia, she became the first woman to run her own daily current affairs radio program. In 1974, she was appointed a Royal Commissioner with the Royal Commission on Human Relationships and in 1978, a founding member of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board.
She was Chair of the South Australian Film Corporation and Executive Director of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. She has made numerous award winning television and radio documentaries including several films in Africa and Asia which have won her three UN Media Peace Awards. In 1993 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to the media and to mental health. She also holds several honorary doctorates.
Her writing includes the internationally acclaimed Tell Me I'm Here, which won the 1991 Human Rights Award for non-fiction. She has also written Australian at Risk, Faces of Change and Coming of Age.
Her first novel, Lines in the Sand, draws from Deveson's own experiences and is a passionate story of loyalty, courage and the human spirit.
She was Chair of the South Australian Film Corporation and Executive Director of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. She has made numerous award winning television and radio documentaries including several films in Africa and Asia which have won her three UN Media Peace Awards. In 1993 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to the media and to mental health. She also holds several honorary doctorates.
Her writing includes the internationally acclaimed Tell Me I'm Here, which won the 1991 Human Rights Award for non-fiction. She has also written Australian at Risk, Faces of Change and Coming of Age.
Her first novel, Lines in the Sand, draws from Deveson's own experiences and is a passionate story of loyalty, courage and the human spirit.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 2, 2018
Deveson reflects on why some people are more able to recover from painful life events than others. Stable, loving relationships with at least one adult are essential for children; we all need friends; continuing stress isn’t good for us and we need to believe that we can do something to help things improve (ie hope) when things are tough.
She touches briefly on brain plasticity, but more recent works are much more interesting and more useful.
She also writes of her personal life during the period she was writing the book, and the personal story takes over, as she shares the anguish of fearing her new lover will die of cancer, and then being with him and through the long days of his dying.
Deveson is not afraid of raw emotion or being open about things most people would only talk about with close friends, so it’s not for anyone who wants a measured treatment of the subject.
She touches briefly on brain plasticity, but more recent works are much more interesting and more useful.
She also writes of her personal life during the period she was writing the book, and the personal story takes over, as she shares the anguish of fearing her new lover will die of cancer, and then being with him and through the long days of his dying.
Deveson is not afraid of raw emotion or being open about things most people would only talk about with close friends, so it’s not for anyone who wants a measured treatment of the subject.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2016
Scholarly work... autobiography... a gem of writing... this book is all of them. Published 11 years ago, Resilience is even more relevant to the world of today.
Why do some people surmount difficulties that destroy most others? How can we foster this ability to reduce suffering -- from wars, disasters, family violence, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse -- any source of distress?
Anne Deveson has written a 280 page poem in eloquent prose to answer these questions. It is a personal statement, and yet a thoroughly documented case for a particular change society needs to make in order to lead to better lives for most people.
This change is the one I have also been campaigning for over many years. Beyond the relief of poverty, the pursuit of material wealth leads to unhappiness. Conflict, aggression, selfishness induce suffering for the perpetrator as much as for the recipient. Those who surmount misfortune such as mental illness or a terrible childhood are those who choose to give to others, to advocate, to hope. The main bars to resilience are meaninglessness and self-pity. The source of meaning to overcome this is to give.
A major character in Anne’s story is Robert Theobald, visionary, inspirational activist for a better world. He knew that with all his many contacts and activities, he could only "shift a few grains of sand," but he continued to do so, concerned with doing the right thing rather than outcome. Typical of the man was a phone call to Anne, from hospital. There was bad news and good news. The good news was that they still gave him six months to live. "It can be a good six months." That's what resilience is about. And, for him, "a good six months" meant the opportunity to work at improving the world through every action and word.
Scattered throughout the book, I found every piece of my personal philosophy, the tool I have used for many years in my work as a therapist and an activist. Acceptance is there. It was the only tool available to her when Robert was dying.
There is a beautiful example of the power of Love on page 161. Child Anne and some other kids made money by stealing plants from gardens, then selling them. An "elderly woman, white-haired and frail," caught them. Her response was to invite them to take any of her plants, and gave them lemon cordial and biscuits. Their life of petty crime stopped.
A benefit of the book is the quotes and citations from a great many others. Reading Resilience seriously is like the introduction to a university course.
In summary, this book is a seamless waltz between the intensely personal and the universal truth. It’s the best-written book I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favour, and you may join Anne’s team, which is also my team.
Why do some people surmount difficulties that destroy most others? How can we foster this ability to reduce suffering -- from wars, disasters, family violence, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse -- any source of distress?
Anne Deveson has written a 280 page poem in eloquent prose to answer these questions. It is a personal statement, and yet a thoroughly documented case for a particular change society needs to make in order to lead to better lives for most people.
This change is the one I have also been campaigning for over many years. Beyond the relief of poverty, the pursuit of material wealth leads to unhappiness. Conflict, aggression, selfishness induce suffering for the perpetrator as much as for the recipient. Those who surmount misfortune such as mental illness or a terrible childhood are those who choose to give to others, to advocate, to hope. The main bars to resilience are meaninglessness and self-pity. The source of meaning to overcome this is to give.
A major character in Anne’s story is Robert Theobald, visionary, inspirational activist for a better world. He knew that with all his many contacts and activities, he could only "shift a few grains of sand," but he continued to do so, concerned with doing the right thing rather than outcome. Typical of the man was a phone call to Anne, from hospital. There was bad news and good news. The good news was that they still gave him six months to live. "It can be a good six months." That's what resilience is about. And, for him, "a good six months" meant the opportunity to work at improving the world through every action and word.
Scattered throughout the book, I found every piece of my personal philosophy, the tool I have used for many years in my work as a therapist and an activist. Acceptance is there. It was the only tool available to her when Robert was dying.
There is a beautiful example of the power of Love on page 161. Child Anne and some other kids made money by stealing plants from gardens, then selling them. An "elderly woman, white-haired and frail," caught them. Her response was to invite them to take any of her plants, and gave them lemon cordial and biscuits. Their life of petty crime stopped.
A benefit of the book is the quotes and citations from a great many others. Reading Resilience seriously is like the introduction to a university course.
In summary, this book is a seamless waltz between the intensely personal and the universal truth. It’s the best-written book I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favour, and you may join Anne’s team, which is also my team.
March 7, 2018
This is a difficult book to rate, because what I thought it was going to be, and what it actually was, were two different things. So, I'll review both sides of the coin.
1. 'Resilience', according to the synopsis, is an "exploration into the nature of resilience" that explores how "some people can be resilient in adversity while others become overwhelmed". THIS is why I bought this book. I was looking to explore what resilience is, where it comes from, and how we build it in ourselves, and also help others to develop their resilience. The book completely fails in all of these areas. Deveson does present research throughout the book, but it becomes increasingly absent as the book progresses, as does the general exploration of anything to do with resilience. Why? Because:
2. 'Resilience' starts off as an exploration of the concept, and quickly becomes a memoir about Deveson meeting a man, falling in love, and then watching him die. It was a touching and interesting read, but really had nothing to do with the idea behind the book. I have to wonder if there was an editor involved at any stage, because someone should have said, "this is a lovely read, but it's not what you set out to do". At most, the majority of the book showed Deveson's resilience as she progressed through the relationship, but that wasn't even explored in any depth.
So: the intended book (part one of the review) gets 1 star. It didn't do what it said it would.
The book that actually happened (part two of the review) gets 2 stars. I felt like I'd been tricked into reading a memoir, but then ended up finding that memoir kind of engaging.
Would I recommend this book? Not if you're looking for something about resilience.
1. 'Resilience', according to the synopsis, is an "exploration into the nature of resilience" that explores how "some people can be resilient in adversity while others become overwhelmed". THIS is why I bought this book. I was looking to explore what resilience is, where it comes from, and how we build it in ourselves, and also help others to develop their resilience. The book completely fails in all of these areas. Deveson does present research throughout the book, but it becomes increasingly absent as the book progresses, as does the general exploration of anything to do with resilience. Why? Because:
2. 'Resilience' starts off as an exploration of the concept, and quickly becomes a memoir about Deveson meeting a man, falling in love, and then watching him die. It was a touching and interesting read, but really had nothing to do with the idea behind the book. I have to wonder if there was an editor involved at any stage, because someone should have said, "this is a lovely read, but it's not what you set out to do". At most, the majority of the book showed Deveson's resilience as she progressed through the relationship, but that wasn't even explored in any depth.
So: the intended book (part one of the review) gets 1 star. It didn't do what it said it would.
The book that actually happened (part two of the review) gets 2 stars. I felt like I'd been tricked into reading a memoir, but then ended up finding that memoir kind of engaging.
Would I recommend this book? Not if you're looking for something about resilience.
June 30, 2013
Resilience is a concept that comes up repeatedly in my area work, for example programs designed to increase individual and community resilience. I usually land the tricky job of working out how to capture and measure the change. Anne's book was a beautiful breath of fresh air in a broader body of literature that's often dry and inaccessible. Her writing is so engaging and well located within the literature. She provides a digestible introduction to current thinking while telling her own personal and emerging story of resilience. I know some other reviewers disliked her increasing focus on her relationship with Robert as the book progressed (which admittedly seems to eclipse the deeper coverage of other thinkers and academics presented earlier in the book), however I enjoyed her personal story as a live and authentic framework for communicating the stuff and subtlety of resilience. Thank you Anne!
October 18, 2016
Anne Deveson shares a mixture of research , reflection and personal accounts of resilience along with her reflections of her own journey of resilience and that of a man she meets and comes to love. Within a relatively short time of their meeting and budding relationship they are confronted by his recurring cancer and his short time left to live. Her personal accounts of this and other challenging times in her life are an honour to witness and to be given such a front row seat in her moving account is a privilege.
January 7, 2008
I savoured this book like a fine wine - one of the few books I have read in small pieces over a timespan of a year maybe two. Hard to describe the book but it is extremely well written about the human quality of resilience interwoven with the authors personal experience.
April 24, 2018
Disappointed. The book did not deliver what I thought it would: a scholarly treatise on the nature of Resilience.
Part 1 was ok , with examples of resilient behaviours in different circumstances. But the number of personal anecdotes should have alerted me to what was to come.
Part 2 described in minute detail Anne's developing relationship with Robert - over a short time span & mainly at a distance. Then his dreadful illness & her attendance at his dying. As another reviewer wrote, it smacked of indulgence.
Did I learn anything about resilience from this book? Not really. Lots of story telling, some interesting literary quotes. Nothing that added to my prior knowledge. And I already have a store of anecdotes about resilience.
I have always admired Anne's work on tv & radio. It was interesting to learn about her family history. So I take it as an unexpected autobiography of a compassionate & intelligent woman.
Part 1 was ok , with examples of resilient behaviours in different circumstances. But the number of personal anecdotes should have alerted me to what was to come.
Part 2 described in minute detail Anne's developing relationship with Robert - over a short time span & mainly at a distance. Then his dreadful illness & her attendance at his dying. As another reviewer wrote, it smacked of indulgence.
Did I learn anything about resilience from this book? Not really. Lots of story telling, some interesting literary quotes. Nothing that added to my prior knowledge. And I already have a store of anecdotes about resilience.
I have always admired Anne's work on tv & radio. It was interesting to learn about her family history. So I take it as an unexpected autobiography of a compassionate & intelligent woman.
August 28, 2019
This was a thought provoking, insightful story. There are many factors involved in whether we are able to rise like the phoenix from the ashes.... or perhaps we cannot help but crumble in a heap in the face of adversity.
I liked Anne's personal story that was interwoven in the second half of the book.
In losing the significant others in her life to death, Anne was not afraid to express her raw emotions. She was resilient in her humanness. I like to think that we are all heroes of our own life story.
Thank you Anne.
I liked Anne's personal story that was interwoven in the second half of the book.
In losing the significant others in her life to death, Anne was not afraid to express her raw emotions. She was resilient in her humanness. I like to think that we are all heroes of our own life story.
Thank you Anne.
August 4, 2020
I found the mix of research and her personal story very odd and didn’t add anything for me. Lots of obvious and repetitive stuff. I skipped quite a bit hoping to get somewhere but was pretty much disappointed.
July 26, 2018
Tell me I'm here was brilliant. So was this. An enjoyable, thought provoking, pull on your heartstrings "real" read.
March 29, 2020
Beautifully written
June 12, 2025
After reading this I’m ashamed to admit I whinge too much…need more resilience.
January 13, 2014
This and more reviews, interviews etc are on Dark Matter Zine, an online magazine. http://www.darkmatterzine.com.
Aimed at the layperson, Resilience is narrative non-fiction combining a brief overview of academic studies into resilience, current definitions, the author’s views and some of the author’s history including the suicide of her son at age 24 and a romance-inspired biographical story arc.
Essential attributes contributing to resilience are discussed including the necessity of networks – friendships – in creating identity while providing support and the vitality inspired by hope.
Deveson discusses Martin Seligmann’s learned helplessness versus learned optimism as they relate to resilience.
Grief and life’s hard knocks are raised as realities with respect for those suffering setbacks. This isn’t one of those self-indulgent feel-good saccharine-sweet novels posing as non-fiction! The author discussing resilience in the face of her child’s illness and subsequent suicide, his response to worsening schizophrenia, gives this book a gritty realism, a credibility, other similar works on the subject may lack.
I’m not entirely enamoured of the romantic story arc although it supports and illustrates the theme. I think, perhaps, my response is due to the brevity and apparent convenient timing of the romance. I’m not averse to romance in fiction and non-fiction alike but I suspect the more I review the more I’m becoming hard to please in this area. It’s best to take my reservations regarding romance with a large pinch of salt. In a romantic salad, perhaps?
(Have I mentioned that I have no aspirations to be a chef? I can, however, make oblique references to Drop Dead Fred, disparaging romance even when trying to redeem myself.)
Resilience is part biography, part academic exploration of resilience in an attempt to develop understanding of this phenomena with a view to strengthening individuals and communities outside of the ‘self-help’ framework. There are no instructions, merely one person sharing what she did to survive, to cope, to ensure her own resilience. This is a strength of this narrative non-fiction story; I highly recommend Resilience.
Aimed at the layperson, Resilience is narrative non-fiction combining a brief overview of academic studies into resilience, current definitions, the author’s views and some of the author’s history including the suicide of her son at age 24 and a romance-inspired biographical story arc.
Essential attributes contributing to resilience are discussed including the necessity of networks – friendships – in creating identity while providing support and the vitality inspired by hope.
Deveson discusses Martin Seligmann’s learned helplessness versus learned optimism as they relate to resilience.
Grief and life’s hard knocks are raised as realities with respect for those suffering setbacks. This isn’t one of those self-indulgent feel-good saccharine-sweet novels posing as non-fiction! The author discussing resilience in the face of her child’s illness and subsequent suicide, his response to worsening schizophrenia, gives this book a gritty realism, a credibility, other similar works on the subject may lack.
I’m not entirely enamoured of the romantic story arc although it supports and illustrates the theme. I think, perhaps, my response is due to the brevity and apparent convenient timing of the romance. I’m not averse to romance in fiction and non-fiction alike but I suspect the more I review the more I’m becoming hard to please in this area. It’s best to take my reservations regarding romance with a large pinch of salt. In a romantic salad, perhaps?
(Have I mentioned that I have no aspirations to be a chef? I can, however, make oblique references to Drop Dead Fred, disparaging romance even when trying to redeem myself.)
Resilience is part biography, part academic exploration of resilience in an attempt to develop understanding of this phenomena with a view to strengthening individuals and communities outside of the ‘self-help’ framework. There are no instructions, merely one person sharing what she did to survive, to cope, to ensure her own resilience. This is a strength of this narrative non-fiction story; I highly recommend Resilience.
May 31, 2012
I don't really know what to make of this book.
What I'd hoped for was some sort of analysis or reasoning as to why some people are more resilient than others. Maybe practical ways to boost resilience in myself (I mean, what writer doesn't want this? We're all such fragile little flowers *snort*). I would have liked to learn more about the fine line between "resilient" and "hard-hearted" - how best to shore oneself up against life yet retain empathy and joy.
In all of the above, this book was a disappointment. I learned that resilience is gained in the first couple of years of life -- if your mommy loved and nurtured you, you're better able to cope with what life throws your way. Fine and dandy, but not much help to those of us past toddler stage.
Past that, the book mashed together brief snippets of resilient people (and we're talking prisoner-of-war stuff) interspersed with Deveson's narration of how she met her husband. The former, while interesting, didn't attempt any analysis and so read like any ho-hum magazine. As for the latter - I simply can't see its place in this book.
Given that I only had a few days to read this (and I'm a slow reader of non-fiction), there was a lot of skimming to get to the end, so it's possible I've missed things a more careful reader would have seized upon. But there was nothing that made me want to slow down to absorb it better.
What I'd hoped for was some sort of analysis or reasoning as to why some people are more resilient than others. Maybe practical ways to boost resilience in myself (I mean, what writer doesn't want this? We're all such fragile little flowers *snort*). I would have liked to learn more about the fine line between "resilient" and "hard-hearted" - how best to shore oneself up against life yet retain empathy and joy.
In all of the above, this book was a disappointment. I learned that resilience is gained in the first couple of years of life -- if your mommy loved and nurtured you, you're better able to cope with what life throws your way. Fine and dandy, but not much help to those of us past toddler stage.
Past that, the book mashed together brief snippets of resilient people (and we're talking prisoner-of-war stuff) interspersed with Deveson's narration of how she met her husband. The former, while interesting, didn't attempt any analysis and so read like any ho-hum magazine. As for the latter - I simply can't see its place in this book.
Given that I only had a few days to read this (and I'm a slow reader of non-fiction), there was a lot of skimming to get to the end, so it's possible I've missed things a more careful reader would have seized upon. But there was nothing that made me want to slow down to absorb it better.
October 19, 2014
I was given this book about 10 years or so ago as a freeby in a conference bag where Anne Deveson was a key note speaker. For some reason I was never compelled by interest or need to read it. I am glad I have finally done so. What starts as an investigation into the nature of Resilience turns into a narrative of people experience the resilient subjectively as well as observationally. I recommend this book to anyone who is facing the experience of death or loss, or even not lethal challenges. I am keen to take my own look at how the principles of Resilience can be applied to business, as business (I believe) is organic being made of humans.
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September 7, 2010Just started this book; came across it in research for my current novel in progress. It's an interesting idea looking at the way people cope in this manner, what makes some people resilient, goes nicely with the conflicts I'm working through so I'm sure it will give me some great insight. Next up: quantum psychology...I don't know what it is, but I can already tell I'll find some inspiration...
August 2, 2011
Glad I read it, but way too long and could have just as well been addressed in an essay. Turned into a love story half way, which smacks of self-indulgence to me, but she did have some good things to say about grief i.e. 'if you love, you grieve'(not Deveson's words). Perhaps she needed to be self-indulgent to get through the grief bit, and maybe I am being too harsh. I think being women, we 'get' the resilience/coping/grief thing anyway but I think this book would help those who don't.
January 4, 2016
This short book begins as an essay on the nature of resilience and morphs into an intimate account of a late-life love affair that requires Deveson to draw down on her considerable emotional strength once again. Worked better for me as the latter rather than the former and well worth reading for her honest portrayal of death and its impact.
January 15, 2015
Enjoyable and interesting; more about resilience, and a memoir of it, than a self-help book. That said, a very useful read to help think about how to be resilient, why some people are more resilient than others, etc.
August 22, 2012
A good read if you need help to keep bouncing back.
December 30, 2015
Honest and inspiring. I need more resilience!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews