Book cover of My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging

Book description

In My Grandfather's Blessings, Rachel Naomi Remen, a cancer physician and master storyteller, uses her luminous stories to remind us of the power of our kindness and the joy of being alive.

Dr. Remen's grandfather, an orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked My Grandfather's Blessings as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love the stories presented in Dr. Remen’s book. They are simple yet profound.

Her stories are centered on the concepts of healing, kindness, compassion, love, and living which she learned from her grandfather. She emphasizes the value of helping others as a way to help ourselves and find meaning in the world.

This book is filled with gems of description and of insight into the human condition. Presented as wisdom passed down lovingly by the author’s grandfather, these stand alone stories build up to a book of thoughtfulness. She writes movingly of herself as a little girl who learns faithfulness through watering a paper cup of soil and seeds until they sprout. Equally movingly she writes as a doctor about a patient, a “man of vision” who does not fit into any existing mold and is thereby isolated by his “deep sense of difference” from others. 

If you love My Grandfather's Blessings...

Ad

Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

Want books like My Grandfather's Blessings?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like My Grandfather's Blessings.

Browse books like My Grandfather's Blessings

Book cover of Educated: A Memoir
Book cover of Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
Book cover of A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,210

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like My Grandfather's Blessings, you might also like...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

5 book lists we think you will like!