“Dr. Ruth’s strategies are essential for building the kinds of bonds that will reduce loneliness and transform lives.” –Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

An urgent guide to combating loneliness, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and orphan of the Holocaust appointed the first-ever “Loneliness Ambassador” in the country.

When Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm that loneliness “represents an urgent public health concern”—exacerbated by social media overuse, the residual effects of the pandemic, and the lack of meaningful relationships—trusted therapist Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer knew that her unique perspective and expertise could help. Long-beloved for breaking stigmas around sexual problems, Dr. Ruth has made it her new mission to help individuals break free from the bonds of hopelessness and isolation.

We are social animals. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting relationships with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. Dr. Ruth, with Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert and longtime collaborator Pierre Lehu, tackles the subject with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach. She provides practical and creative strategies for finding friends, community, and intimacy.

And it’s anchored by Dr. Ruth’s own story, from the horrific loneliness of losing her family in the Holocaust, to living in an orphanage, to rebuilding her life in America, working her way up from maid to world-renowned sex-therapist. With her tips on navigating family dynamics, developing a fulfilling social and romantic life, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom for any stage of life.

The Joy of Connections isn’t just an action-oriented guidebook on overcoming loneliness from one of the most well-respected therapists of our time; it’s the vital kick in the pants we all need in order to start seeking—and finding—deep and lasting human connections via 100 concrete and innovative opportunities that can be put to use immediately.

Passed and Present is a one-of-a-kind guide for discovering creative and meaningful ways to keep the memory of loved ones alive.

Inspiring and imaginative, this bona fide “how-to” manual teaches us how to remember those we miss most, no matter how long they’ve been gone. Passed and Present is not about sadness and grieving. It is about happiness and remembering. It is possible to look forward, to live a rich and joyful life, while keeping the memory of loved ones alive. This much-needed, easy-to-use roadmap shares 85 imaginative ways to celebrate and honor family and friends we never want to forget.

Chapter topics include: Repurpose With Purpose:  Ideas for transforming objects and heirlooms. Discover ways to reimagine photographs, jewelry, clothing, letters, recipes, and virtually any inherited item or memento.  Use Technology: Strategies for your daily, digital life. Opportunities for using computers, scanners, printers, apps, mobile devices, and websites. Not Just Holidays: Tips for remembrance any time of year, day or night, whenever you feel that pull, be it a loved one’s birthday, an anniversary, or just a moment when a memory catches you by surprise.  Monthly Guide:  Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other special times of year present unique challenges and opportunities. This chapter provides exciting ideas for making the most of them while keeping your loved one’s memory alive. Places to Go: Destinations around the world where reflecting and honoring loved ones is a communal activity.  This concept is called Commemorative Travel.

Also included are suggestions for incorporating aspects of these foreign traditions into your practices at home.  Being proactive about remembering loved ones has a powerful and unexpected benefit: it can make you happier. The more we incorporate memories into our year-round lives as opposed to sectioning them off to a particular time of year, the more we can embrace the people who have passed, and all that’s good and fulfilling in our present.    With beautiful illustrations throughout by artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis,Passed and Present also includes an introduction by Hope Edelman, bestselling author of Motherless Daughters.

Parentless Parents is the first book to show how the absence of grandparents impacts everything about the way mothers and fathers raise their children–from everyday parenting decisions to the relationships they have with their spouses and in-laws.

For the first time in U.S. history, as the average age of women giving birth has increased significantly, millions of children are at risk of having fewer years with their grandparents than ever before. How has this substantial shift affected parents and kids? Journalist, award-winning television producer, and parentless parent Allison Gilbert has polled and studied more than 1,300 parentless parents from across the United States and a dozen other countries to find out.

Through her pioneering research, Gilbert not only shares her own story and the significant and poignant effect that this trend has had on her and hundreds of other families, but also the myriad ways these mothers and fathers have learned to keep the memory of their parents alive for their children, and to find the support and understanding they need.

Tells what it was like for TV and radio journalists to report the terrifying story of their lives.