The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre

by Ruth Westheimer, Pierre A. Lehu

The Doctor Is In! America’s best-loved therapist, Dr. Ruth, is known for her wise counsel on all matters of the heart. Here she shares private stories from her past and her present, and her insights into living life to the fullest, at any age. Everyone knows Dr. Ruth as the most famous and trusted sex therapist, but few people know she narrowly escaped death from the Holocaust, was raised in an orphanage in Switzerland, or that she was a sniper during Israel's War of Independence. After years spent as a student in Paris, Dr. Ruth came to America dreaming of a new life though never expecting the dramatic turns that would take place. And at the age of eighty-seven, she is as spirited as ever. Through intimate and funny stories, Dr. Ruth sheds light on how she's learned to live a life filled with joie de vivre. And she shows readers how they too can learn to deal with tragedy and loss, challenges and success, all while nourishing an intellectual and emotional spark, and, above all, having fun! Hilarious, inspiring, and profound, The Doctor Is In will change the way you think about life and love, in all their limitless possibilities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Sexuality, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Karola Ruth Westheimer, better known as Dr. Ruth, was a German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, professor, and Holocaust survivor.
Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish family. As the Nazis came to power, her parents sent the ten-year-old girl to a school in Switzerland for safety, remaining behind themselves because of her elderly grandmother. They were both subsequently sent to concentration camps by the Gestapo, where they were killed. After World War II ended, she immigrated to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine. Despite being only 4 feet 7 inches (1.39 m) tall and 17 years of age, she joined the Haganah, and was trained as a sniper, but never saw combat. On her 20th birthday, Westheimer was seriously wounded in action by an exploding shell during a mortar fire attack on Jerusalem during the 1947–1949 Palestine war, and almost lost both of her feet. Moving to Paris, France two years later, she studied psychology at the Sorbonne. Immigrating to the United States in 1956, she worked as a maid to put herself through graduate school, earned an M.A. degree in sociology from The New School in 1959, and earned a doctorate at 42 years of age from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1970. Over the next decade, she taught at a number of universities, and had a private sex therapy practice.
Westheimer's media career began in 1980 with the radio call-in show Sexually Speaking, which continued until 1990. In 1983 it was the top-rated radio show in the area, in the country's largest radio market. She then launched a television show, The Dr. Ruth Show, which by 1985 attracted 2 million viewers a week. She became known for giving serious advice while being candid, but also warm, cheerful, funny, and respectful, and for her tag phrase: "Get some". In 1984 The New York Times noted that she had risen "from obscurity to almost instant stardom." She hosted several series on the Lifetime Channel and other cable television networks from 1984 to 1993. She became a household name and major cultural figure, appeared on several network TV shows, co-starred in a movie with Gérard Depardieu, appeared on the cover of People, sang on a Tom Chapin album, appeared in several commercials, and hosted Playboy videos. She is the author of 45 books on sex and sexuality.
The one-woman 2013 play Becoming Dr. Ruth, written by Mark St. Germain, is about her life, as is the 2019 documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth, directed by Ryan White. Westheimer had been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, and awarded the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Leo Baeck Medal, the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Reviews

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the chance to read and review an advance reader's copy of Doctor Is In, The: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre.

I originally wanted to read this book due to the description of Dr. Ruth’s life sounding very intriguing. From being separated from her parents and ultimately left an orphan during the Holocaust, to joining the Haganah, a paramilitary organization in Palestine, and being trained as a sniper, it sounded very unexpected based on what little I knew about her. I was also interested in exactly how someone who describes herself as fairly conservative due to her background as an Orthodox Jew in Germany, ended up becoming a famous sex therapist in her fifties! However, while she does mention all those topics, I felt that she never delved very deeply into her past, with the exception of becoming a sex therapist. She describes her unusual career path in detail, but in my opinion, it came off as very self-aggrandizing, with a lot of name-dropping and continually referring to her role as a “celebrity” and all the benefits that come with that status.

I found the story of her life somewhat dry and lacking in emotion, considering the fact that she survived the Holocaust and losing her parents at the age of ten, but managed to eventually do quite well for herself. I’m not sure if potential reasons for this could be that she details her life story more in a previous book (I haven’t read any other books by her), and/or she simply doesn’t want to dredge up old memories that are negative, since this book is about how to experience “joie de vivre” (a term mentioned WAY too frequently - 31 times plus 10 more abbreviated to just "joy"!).

While I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I'd hoped to, I still think Dr. Ruth managed to intersperse some good advice throughout the book, including the following:

One of my secrets to getting the most from life is that I naturally forget bad things that happen to me. That’s not to say that I don’t hold grudges. However, if I’ve forgotten why I should be holding that grudge, it slips through my fingers, along with all the bad vibrations that come with anything negative.

Feeling the full range of emotions is a part of life. No one likes to feel sad, but assuming you’re not clinically depressed, feeling sad from time to time is better than not feeling any emotions at all.

You can’t really enjoy life if you’re always hesitant. You have to make decisions, and while some of them won’t turn out as planned, at least you’ll know who to blame – and when they turn out to be right, you won’t have to share the credit!

My favorite part of the book is that Dr. Ruth advocates for continually growing and learning, no matter one's age, and she has slowed down very little, even at the age of eight-six! She states, “There are many ways to expand your brain, and one of the best I’ve found is teaching.” She goes on to say:

The reason I like to teach at the age of eighty-six is that when you reach a certain stage, hanging around people your own age doesn't offer all that much in terms of growth potential. Many seniors have their sights aimed inward rather than outward.

She continues to write and teach courses at several colleges, as well as travels around the world giving lectures. In this way, I think she exemplifies the way everyone should hope to live life in their eighties!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grew up in New York listening to Dr. Ruth on the radio. She was so warm and inviting and gave such sound advice. I have always admired her courage, her zest for life and her strong presence. I was surprised therefore by her book The Doctor Is In in which she gives advice on how to live life with Joie de Vivre and get the most pleasure and joy that we can. In this book, Dr Ruth seems different; her voice is shallow, distant and repetitive. Basically the book is a guide on how to handle the vicissitude of life: the hurt, the grief, the losses that come our way. She encourages us to feel all of our feelings associated with our pain and then get moving and find the Joie de Vivre that we are missing. She gives us examples from her own life. What is surprising is how simplistic and formulaic her advice is, how she repeats it over and over and how the more she says it the more removed it feels. Given that Dr Ruth encourages us to feel a full range of feeling it is disappointing that she mostly only expresses "happy" and "nice" feelings and doesn't give many clues on how to express the full range of emotions we might be feeling and use this to lighten our burdens and better ourselves. She also doesn't seem aware that people have so many different ways of coping and that being active and busy might work for her but not for others. Overall, a miss for me though I always look forward to hearing from Dr Ruth at different stages of her, and my own, life. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Galley provided free for review by netgalley.com)

I really wanted to like this book. I know that Dr. Ruth is typically known for discussions about sex, and that's well and good, but I was excited about reading a little more about her life. She has lived several lifetimes in her 86 years, and I wanted to know more about her experiences. There are some good lessons in the book, but after a while, reading the book starts to feel like sitting with an elderly relative who has Lessons to Impart. Dr. Ruth's ideas about joie de vivre are good in small doses, but a book full of them kind of hits the reader over the head. There's nothing subtle about the message she wants to send, and she does so with a rather blunt writing style. I wish the book had been a little more carefully edited for style, because it feels a bit clunky and uneven. At one point she says, "... Fred was short, and since he wasn't wearing a wedding ring, I could tell he was single." Why not just say, "He was short, and he wasn't wearing a wedding ring..."? I think it's safe to assume your readers can make that jump with you. A little while later, she says, parenthetically to her readers, "You may remember it was the subject of the question I asked Dr. Kaplan..." Well, yes, the question was asked, literally, three paragraphs earlier. I assure you, we remember. There are chronological jumps that aren't always logical (but would actually work if you were sitting in a room with your great-aunt, listening to her tell stories about her childhood.) There are things that she repeats like she can't quite remember if she's said it before, so she's just going to tell you again. By the time I was two-thirds of the way through the book, I just wanted to get to the end, and that was very disappointing for me.

[Patrizia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my kind of book. Superficial, self-congratulatory, name dropping. There's an interesting story there but she tells it very poorly.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, and I guess I wish I could give it more, but also surprised I finished this book. Dr. Ruth has had an incredible life, in both highs, and extreme lows. I fully support not letting your lows trap you, but it got a little repetitive through out the book.

I haven't read many autobiographies, so I may not be the best at determining the best way to go about talking about all your accomplishments with out coming across as egotistical, but this felt a little bit that way.

I did enjoy learning about her childhood, and her life experiences. There were bits of advice I agreed with and pondered, but I picked this book to read as I thought there was going to be more of those things.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review. This is such a fun little book. It's not exactly a linear tale, but more a mixture of Dr. Ruth's life story, experience, and advice. I've always been interested in her and this book really piqued my interest even more. I will be reading her actual autobiography after this. She's obviously full of life and joy (!) and this book reflects that. This is not the deepest book on her life or on sex advice, but if you aren't really familiar with either- this provides some entry into both subjects.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember Dr. Ruth talking candidly about sex on radio and television back in the 80's. Accent aside, hers was a unique voice because of her focus on educating without shocking or titillating her audience. She brings this same frankness to her second autobiography and fills its pages with upbeat advice based on her astonishingly varied (some tragically) life experiences. Overall, a very positive view of an eventful life that's still going strong at 86.

I received this book for free through the goodreads First Reads program.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't aware that Dr. Ruth was sent to Switzerland at the age of ten and lost her whole family. She was a sniper in the Israeli army and was married three times. Being able to read an $8.99 book for free is a great perk of Amazon Prime Lending.

[Sally Kilpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Ruth is still keeping her cards close to her vest, but her story is still a remarkable one. I guarantee that you'll get tired of the expression "joie de vivre," but you'll also learn how to live your best life. May we all have as rich an experience as Dr. Ruth has.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book before official release date.

I loved it ! Whimsical, practical and plain fun.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting to learn more about Dr. Ruth's personal life. I learned things about her that I didn't know about. She has had an interesting life.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's a firecracker!

[Jordana Horn Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this and Dr. Ruth!

This is the most helpful book about how to bring joie de vivre into your life. I wish everyone would read it! And I hope to meet the amazing Dr. Ruth one day!

[Jennifer Doddridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

What a fun and inspiring story. Not a ‘self-help’ book. It’s stories and some instructions on how to live with joy.

[Anyah Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lust und Liebe für ein erfülltes Leben
Der Stil, wie Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer ihr neuestes Buch „Lebe mit Lust und Liebe: Meine Ratschläge für ein erfülltes Leben“ geschrieben hat, gefällt mir ausgesprochen gut. Sie beschreibt darin Szenen aus ihrem eigenen Leben, gibt dabei viele Emotionen von sich selbst preis und bietet uns Lesern danach in kleinen Beispiel-Episoden Tipps für ein glücklicheres Leben. Sie tut dies nicht mit dem erhobenen Zeigefinger, sondern sagt, jeder solle nur die Zutaten aus ihrem Buch herausholen und sie dann selber für sein eigenes Leben mixen. Besonders schön ist ihr persönlicher Leitsatz: "La Joie de vivre" – der bedeutet nämlich, sich noch richtig freuen zu können, wie ein kleines Kind. Wenn ich Dr. Ruth gesehen habe (natürlich nur im TV) dann hatte ich genau diesen Eindruck von ihr, sie freut sich ihres Lebens. Eine Eigenschaft, die jedermann wirklich häufiger ausleben sollte, wie ich finde. Dr. Ruth ist für mich nicht nur eine Optimistin sondern sie lebt Optimismus. Anders kann ich mir nicht erklären, wie sie nach all den schlimmen Schicksalsschlägen immer wieder die Kraft gefunden hat, Positives aus allen Situationen herauszuholen und diese Lebensfreude auch noch anderen vermitteln möchte, selbst dann, wenn es ihr persönlich einmal nicht so gut geht. Dr. Westheimer erzählt uns Lesern viele noch nicht so bekannte Aspekte von sich selbst, zum Beispiel wie sie als Kind den Holocaust überleben konnte, dass sie eine der Verwundeten im Palästinakrieg war und wie es für sie ist, als Emigrantin zu leben.

Ich habe mich zu jedem Zeitpunkt gut gefühlt, während ich das Buch gelesen habe. Ich konnte durchaus einige Ratschläge für mich selbst heraus filtern, die ich in Zukunft versuchen werde zu beherzigen. Dr. Westheimer schreibt in einem flüssigen Stil, der mich stetig zum Weiterlesen animiert hat. Ganz sicher aber schafft sie es, Gefühle beim Leser zu wecken, bei mir war es u.a. auch Demut. Von Herzen gerne vergebe ich dem Buch seine wie ich finde verdienten fünf von fünf möglichen Sternen und empfehle es allen Lesern weiter, die gerne mehr von Dr. Ruth Westheimer erfahren möchten und vielleicht selbst gerade in einer Krise stecken und Aufmunterung benötigen oder wissen möchten, wie sie Wege aus einer Niedergeschlagenheit finden können.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book works much better as an autobiography of Ruth Westheimer than a self-help book. A better topic for Dr. Ruth would be resilience, rebounding from bad circumstances, and reinvention(I am using this terms in a respectful manner).

Dr. Ruth has survived the Holocaust, being badly injured in the Israeli war for Independence, two divorces and widowhood. She has gone from poverty to wealth. In addition she has gone from having very little formal education because it was interrupted because of the Second World War to being "Dr. Ruth" and teaching at Harvard and Yale. In her fifties when she was neither young or conventionally pretty she became a TV star and celebrity,

Many readers have made some justifiable criticism that Dr. Ruth does not display much emotion in the book. However, because of some my personal knowledge and experiences I could guess at some of Dr. Ruth's emotions(FYI I think people like books when the can relate to the people in the books).

My mother, like Dr. Ruth is Jewish and grew up in Germany. Like Dr. Ruth my mother left Germany when she was eleven. Like Dr. Ruth, my mother's education was interrupted when she was a teenager because of the Second World. Like Dr. Ruth my mother was a "stateless" person after the Second World War. Let me tell that some of these experiences are tough, emotional and leave scars on people. Presently, I am in my fifties. It is difficult to start a new career at this age; it is impressive that Dr. Ruth made it in show business at this age.

Dr. Ruth does discuss some interesting about television industry. She said that many things on television that appear to be natural are really rehearsed and staged. In addition, she is not the only person I have heard/read that has become famous through television but seems not to have much respect for it as an activity. Dr. Ruth criticizes television for being passive and believes that reading is a more rewarding pastime.

In short, I felt the book was readable as an autobiography. Dr Ruth is an interesting, tough and dynamic person. However, I don't recommend it as a self-help book.

[Peggy Geiger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received 2 ARC's for this honest review. The author and publisher provided an ARC via NetGalley as a Kindle download and I won a paperback copy through Goodreads.

Genre: Nonfiction

From an orphanage in Switzerland, allowing her to escape the holocaust, to the active life of a busy 87 year old, Dr. Ruth has lived her life with Joie de vivre. Joie de vivre is french for "joy of life".

Excerpt from the book:

"Joie de vivre literally means, "joy of life", but what it really describes are those times when you just feel very alive, your emotions are bursting forth, and you want to skip down the street. It's something you see in little children who squeal with delight at certain times."

I enjoyed reading the history of Dr. Ruth's life during the war and the ensuing years. Dr. Ruth encourages us to handle life's hurts, grief and losses, then move on. However, other than staying busy, she does not address how to deal with or overcome our losses.

I was disappointed in this book. The book jumped around alot, as though the author wrote as she happened to remember stories instead of one story flowing into the next one. The book constantly refers to herself as a celebrity and all the perks because of who she is. For instance, after the death of her third husband, she wrote:

Excerpt from the book:

"Go out and be active," is what I would tell anyone in the situation I found myself in, but I know how hard that can be. Luckily for me, I was already a celebrity, so I was able to engage in all the distractions I needed rather than just mope around in an empty apartment."

Material in the book was repeated and "Joie de Vivre" was used much too often. Celebrity name-dropping was constant and seemed out of place for this type of book. Sadley, I would not recommend this book.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads. I like to read books about interesting people and Dr. Ruth is a little power house. Everyone knows Dr. Ruth as the sex therapist, but she is truly much more than that. This book focuses on her life. Dr. Ruth was born on June 4, 1928 as Karola Ruth Siegel. She was taken to a German- Jewish safe camp with around 100 other children after her father was taken from the family home by Nazis.

Dr. Ruth was trained as a scout and a sniper by the Hagenah (the Jewish paramilitary) once she immigrated to Palestine at age 17. Her training came about because of her size, as it made it easier for her to be undetected. After a while she was injured and as a result was allowed to leave the military.

Dr. Ruth hungered for a better life and for the education that was originally denied to her. Once Dr. Ruth was allowed to seek higher learning she made it her mission. Even though Dr. Ruth has written books, been on radio and TV, teaching is her first love. She has taught at several universities.

Dr. Ruth has two children and has been married three times. Throughout Dr. Ruth’s life her main motto has been to seize the “ Joie de Vivre”; which translates to “joy of life”. She believes this is true of no matter what situation life throws at you, find the good it in. From this book it was very easy to be in awe of her spunk and positive attitude in general. I am not referring to sex here. I am referring to Dr. Ruth as a person. There are so many more interesting facts and stories that she shares about her life in this book and I say it is definitely worth checking out as you will be inspired.

[Heather Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've previously enjoyed hearing Dr. Ruth's interviews and guest appearances on TV. I can honestly say I learned from the book several things about her that I didn't know from her early life that were interesting, but really felt the book was based more in ego which killed it for me. It's wonderful that Dr. Ruth found her calling and commands attention wherever she goes, she'd earned her fame on that I will agree. But the level of almost entitled and ego-driven behavior and attitude really changed my view of Dr. Ruth the person behind the celebrity. Don't get me wrong, there were some interesting aspects to the book such as learning a bit more about her early life and all she'd been through as a child and young woman. Her ability to sniff out opportunities and/or create them for herself is admirable. I just couldn't help the continual stab of annoyance every time she forced someone to bend over backwards to cater to her needs/whim. The whiff of simply wanting book sales was pungent with this one. I kept wanting the key to "Joie de Vivre" and as many times as the term was used in the book, felt myself still wanting and waiting for the gem of knowledge that made this book worth reading. Sadly it never came.

[Megan Uy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is one of those books that I enjoyed, but I'd hesitate to recommend because I'd be afraid that it would reflect poorly on me and my taste. The thing is, there are some great little anecdotes in this memoir and if I heard them directly from Dr. Ruth while sitting around her kitchen table, I'd be fascinated: She was sent of Germany to an orphanage to flee the Holocaust and gave her only doll, her only toy even, to another crying little girl on the train? She was a sniper in the fledgling Israeli army and was wounded by a bomb? She has a tendency to hitch rides from strangers who recognize her on the streets of New York when she can't get a cab? She got Nate Berkus to redecorate her apartment after appearing on his show? She insisted on having a love interest for her own character on her sitcom? All great. But the memoir itself read like an elderly woman chatted extemporaneously into a recorder and her gallant personal assistant extraordinaire patiently stitched the stories together, patchwork like a quilt. But an inside-out quilt: you're well-covered and comfy...but you can see all the seams, knots, and dangling threads.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: Entertaining, serious, charming, and full of joie de vivre. 3.5 stars

Narration: Absolutely perfect for this nonfiction book. Warm, expressive (without being too expressive), let the humor shine through. Did not annoy. 3.5-4 stars

[Johanna Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley for a copy to read and review.

A testament to someone who has not only lived through some of the worst things in the worlds history but has thrived. Most Americans know Dr. Ruth as the sex therapist on the radio offering help to people with questions about sex. This book details though what a wide and varied life Dr. Ruth has lived. Through the Holocaust, orphanage, Military history, education, television shows, radio shows, documentaries and her active work in the fight against AIDS. This woman has seen and done what dozens couldn't do in a lifetime. Through it all she describes a joy to life that she experiences and how to keep on experiencing that joy. Life hands you lemons.....make lemonade and add tequila. She may be small but such a powerful package. I really enjoyed this book, and her plain speaking. This isn't a self help book but a book descriptive in nature about one woman's plight. Five stars!

[Patty Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Godmother recommended this book to me. To be honest, I don't think I would've read this if she hadn't told me how much she enjoyed it. I always equated Dr. Ruth with sex from her radio show. That's all I really knew about her. But, from losing her family in the Holocaust and then being shipped to Sweden alone when she was 10 years old, to later becoming a sniper and fighting for Israel (and almost losing her life), I never imagined what this small, happy woman had gone through. What's amazing is that this book, while painting a picture of what her life has been like, all the hardships she's experienced, se could be bitter and angry and rightfully so. But, she's such a lover of life - "joie de vivre" - and in this book, she tries to spread her love of life to the reader. This book is very much a self-help book in that she gives the reader ideas on how to make the most out of their life.

[Denise Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I just love her. I want to have lunch with her, hear her tell me stories and just soak in her joie de vivre. I honestly did not know too much about her other than she is the grandmotherly lady who talks about sex; but she truly is an amazing woman and an inspiration to all.

The book is a little jumpy and conversational, which I do not mind and it reminds me of speaking to my Grandma or Great Aunts.

If you are looking for a self help book, this is not it. This is a collection of stories, and opinions about how to live the best possible life no matter what situation you find yourself in. For her to be so positive about life, makes me feel like I need to stop complaining so much about everything.

[Suzanne Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grabbed this book off of the library's shelves to listen to while waiting on some books I had on reserve to come in. Dr. Ruth has definitely lived quite the life. Definitely not an enchanted one but one with much action and worldly experience. And with everything that has happened to her - her attitude is so great! I had no idea that she survived the Holocaust but as an orphan. Or that she was a sniper in the Israli resistance! Crazy.

I'm glad I read this book. I do hope I can keep Joie de Vivre going in my life! And keep such a great attitude as Dr. Ruth!

[Heather Mims · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Dr. Ruth, and I really wanted to enjoy this book.
Unfortunately, I found it trite, preachy, and repetitive. Open it to just about any page, and you'll find at least one of these three things mentioned: her shortness, her impatience, and/or the ubiquitous "Joie de Vivre". As it is, it's going to be quite a while before I can hear that phrase without a flash of annoyance.

Interesting personality, nice concept… poor execution.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Ruth's tale, while full of sniper rifles, defines strength as mental character trait through joyful determination to follow joie de vivre . A continued wilingness to follow life's trials and treasures without walling yourself off from spirit.

All together a darling read with plenty of sass and kitsch that reminds me to spend more time learning from our elders. And to never stop experiencing!

[Maureen Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woman wrote this book at the age of eighty-six. I appreciate to hear about experiences, regrets and lessons learned from people who are older and wiser from it. Dr. Ruth emphasizes on being happy or her terms "Joie de Vivre". She shares a lifetime of experiences though I am sure this just scratches the surface. I enjoyed reading this book. It was my own Joie de Vivre. Thank you Dr. Ruth, may you have many more Joie de Vivre moments to share.

[Bob Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides getting a really good sense of her quirky personality, such as when she asks to be placed up on a shelf so she could see during a lecture (she's really short), the largest focus is on her joy of life. It is amazing that in spite of many hardships, such as escaping the Holocaust while her parents didn't, she can remain so positive. Dr. Ruth includes advice for how to not hide away from sad events, but to move past them. I highly recommend it.