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  • Staring at the Sun

  • Overcoming the Terror of Death
  • By: Irvin D. Yalom
  • Narrated by: Sean Mangan
  • Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (253 ratings)
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Staring at the Sun cover art

Staring at the Sun

By: Irvin D. Yalom
Narrated by: Sean Mangan
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Summary

At the age of 74, best-selling author Irvin Yalom turns his attention to one of the great human questions: our fear of death. He suggests that what he calls the 'awakening experience' can help us acknowledge, accept, and make use of our fear of death in a positive manner. These awakening experiences often follow a loss, a trauma, or the death of a loved one, illness or just growing old. Yalom shows us how such an awakening can be the turning point for a more meaningful life.

This is a practical and tremendously useful book that includes methods and techniques for dealing with the most prevalent kinds of fear: anxiety that is hidden and appears to us as other problems in our lives. Dr. Yalom argues that once we confront our own mortality, we are inspired to rearrange our priorities, communicate more deeply with those we love, appreciate more keenly the beauty of life, and increase our willingness to take the risks necessary for personal fulfillment.

©2010 Irvin D. Yalom (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

What listeners say about Staring at the Sun

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  • Overall
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Compassionate and thought provoking

Irvin Yalom delivers a compassionate and thought-provoking book on the fear of death. His insightful reflections, steeped in philosophy, drives the reader to consider essential questions that impact on the quality of the life we lead. The narrator suited the material perfectly.

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very annoying reading

the narrator reads the book if that would be a fiction story, not the book based on experience of therapeutic relationships. I found it very hard to concentrate as the voice exaggerates to excessive degree. The narrator puts to much pressure on the sound of his voice and I finding hard to trust him, or believe he understands of what he reads.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book but narration is patchy

Really good book. Useful for therapists, less as a technical manual but more for a broad process level exploration of very important therapeutic matters.

I found the narration problematic. For the first few chapters I genuinely thought it was a robot. I either habituated to it, or the narration improved after that.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Yalom never disapoints

What did you like most about Staring at the Sun?

Yalom is able to be honest and open about himself as a therapist and a person

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't name an exact character but every one made a point and got a message across

Any additional comments?

If you liked this you will love 'Love's Executioner'. Yalom writes so well. As a counsellor I have found reading Yalom to be inspiring.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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must read

Life would be so much easier if everyone read books like this one.
definitely worth your credit.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Life changing

I genuinely didn't realise how much death terror influenced my life. I never related it to so many aspects of my life. Through this book, I have confronted death, and I can genuinely say I feel a lot less fear about it. Read this book, it'll make you want to live a better life.

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Another fine book

Irvin yalom seems to have an uncanny knack of speaking to my soul. I find myself agreeing on so many points. It was well written and well read, full of insight and explores the hardest subjects we as therapist's or as human beings are likely to face. Superb.

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Amazing and inspiring book

I absolutely loved this book...so much so that I will listen to it again soon ( and I never read booksore than once). Wonderful writing from Yalom, as usual, and lovely narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Inspiring and helpful

Where does Staring at the Sun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best one (out of four I've listened to)

What did you like best about this story?

An inspiring guide to 'staring at the sun, with plenty of inspiration for work with clients. Also great just as a book about thinking about death.

Which character – as performed by Sean Mangan – was your favourite?

No characters in this book

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's not that kind of book

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Insightful read

I liked the openness Yalom gives & the interactions he talks about with his clients. Insightful & thought provoking. I would recommend this book to anyone who is working with death anxiety.

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