Find the Good

Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer
by Heather Lende

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As the obituary writer in a spectacularly beautiful but often dangerous spit of land in Alaska, Heather Lende knows something about last words and lives well lived. Now she’s distilled what she’s learned about how to live a more exhilarating and meaningful life into three words: find the good....
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Published By Algonquin Books

Format Hardback

Category

Number Of Pages 176

Publication Date 04/28/2015

ISBN 9781616201678

Dimensions 5.35 inches x 7.35 inches


“Working as an obituary writer could get you down, if you were the kind of person who let it. Lende isn’t…she teases wisdom from the lives her obits celebrate as well as from her own experiences as a mother and grandmother…each conveys the unsentimental conviction that the good in our lives shouldn’t be overshadowed by their inevitable end.” —New York Times Book Review
 “A wise, witty memoir that combines anecdotes about Lende’s work and family with plainspoken wisdom gleaned from her years of living in a small community.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review
“Find the Good is the perfect nightstand accompaniment: short, breezy and chock-full of life lessons.” —New York Daily News

Find the Good is wonderful to its core . . . page after page of this delicious book is filled with truisms you’ll want framed to hang on your wall.” —The Oklahoman
 “Simple yet profound… [Lende’s] homespun stories will speak meaningfully to readers. The overarching message is that the life we get is precious, as obituary writer Lende knows so well, and should be lived in such a way as to create much good to be remembered by.” —Booklist 
“Honest and simple yet full of lasting strength, the author's prose demonstrates what makes a life better rather than worse—including something as simple as picking up heart-shaped stones on the beach with a grandchild. Optimistic, slightly humorous reflections on living a fully engaged, meaningful life.”—Kirkus Reviews
“It seems so easy to write something that makes the world a better place, but as most writers know, it isn’t. Heather Lende has a rare gift and is a writer to be treasured and appreciated for all the tough times in your life, whether you are from a small town in Southeast Alaska or a city on the other side of the world.”—The Seattle Review of Books
“At times heart-achingly poignant, at others heart-meltingly sweet, Find the Good reminds us those last words will come soon enough, far too soon for some, and charges us with the responsibility to not only live a life worth writing about but to recognize and honor those people who matter to us while they're here to appreciate it.”—South Bergenite/NorthJersey.com 
“Lende’s short chapters resonate, reminding us that it’s worth looking at our relationships, our obligations, our priorities, our community, and our world from a fresh, positive perspective. A gift to share with friends and family, Find the Good offers a way out of the negativity and cynicism that can overwhelm our daily routines.”—Utne Reader
“A feel-good volume that is sure to please many a mom and maybe even earn you some extra brownie points.” —Bookbrowse