“Readers feeling as though empathy is lacking in our society should look no further than this book from Buddhist scholar Lu (The Buddha in Jail, 2019). Lu fled Vietnam with his family in the 1970s and witnessed a shooting as a child: he is no stranger to trauma or pain. Writing with authenticity, and without trite words or catchphrases, he explains how he was able to cope with trauma and become who he is today. He offers much sound advice. Allow yourself to feel all emotions; suffering is necessary to appreciate happy times. Rather than avoiding adversity, develop coping methods to become a stronger person. Only when you love yourself, flaws and all, can you truly be at peace. Lu offers realistic ways to combat emotional pain and anger, and does not shy from suggesting societal causes of these feelings. Despite the bleakness one may feel today, it's impossible not to feel some optimism after reading this book. Perhaps the most important lesson here is that we are all more connected than we realize.”—Booklist