Far from being abstract research on the dynamics of resilience, Deborah Levine has provided us with a life story, and highly relevant biography, an ethnography if you will, of the struggle for resilience lived out, day by day. It is filled with the challenges to resilience from health, work, environments, and relationships. Today we speak of the cost of intersectionality on oneself. The term is extremely relevant here, as Deborah herself is bundled into her white female identity, her Jewish ethnicity, the cultural marks of her places of upbringing, her immigrant status, her health vulnerability, and her religious belongings. Each of these shows up repeatedly both as a liability and an asset in her resilience narrative.
Resilience is demonstrated, not discussed, though we are reminded of it and shown how it was in play in her story by a short paragraph or two after each narrative section in each chapter. Here the author reflects on the values and behaviors that helped her weather the challenges described in her story. This is then highlighted via significant quotations that relate to her navigation of the events that challenged her at every level, physical, mental, and spiritual.
Among Deborah’s reflective comments, I was especially struck by a few such as:
- “…writing boosts critical thinking which requires analysis, reflection, and evaluation, which leads to creativity in dealing with what we must endure.” As an advocate of journal keeping for the past 60 years, I can only say “Amen!”
- “Letting go is not an easy skill to learn and it must be done numerous times in our lives. The ability to access memories, sights and sounds of the past while letting go of the depression and disappointment of loss is a must for the resilience we need today.”
This involves allowing our minds and feelings to relive the sensations of what we’ve passed through in order to let go of it. Deborah’s sum up in the final pages of the book makes it obvious that her writing the book itself reflects that process and how she benefited from it.
- ‘The Arts make us bolder and able to take more risks. Explore what has been unknown to you, whether it was music, dance or literature. As you expand your exploration of those arts and cultures, more opportunities to do so will appear right in front of you.” Curiosity about the unknown can be a challenge, particularly when we are swamped by our roles in life, so “letting go” is required here to open the self to the unfamiliar and enable us to step through the reinvigorating gateways it offers.”
One of the challenges to the intercultural profession is whether to and how to explore issues of faith and spirituality. Here conflict avoidance seems a part of the culture of this profession. This is not the case for Deborah, whose personal life and career constantly include faith, spirituality, religious communities, and what she addresses as “the Divine“. Prayer, meditation, shared, rituals, celebrations, and the firmness of one’s faith can be important sources of resilience, whether one is a practicing member of a faith community or not.
Perusing these pages, I can only say that I am thankful for the gift of Deborah’s story and her reflections on it. Reading such can mentor one in in self-reflection and identifying one’s own need and capacity for resilience. I will add it to my “gratitude list“, the cooking up of such is one more important nourishing dish on Deborah’s resilience menu.
Dr. Simons is the inventor, director of research and primary developer of the award-winning Diversophy® training instruments.
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Dynamite book for anyone who’s ever struggled coming back after a tragedy.
“Deborah has hit another home run with her newest book on resilience. In it she mines her varied personal history of successes and health setbacks to emphasize lessons for younger people. It’s easy to become dismayed today and Deborah is an excellent example of creative overcoming through inner resources, societal cooperation, and divine inspiration. Where most would have given up, Deborah set achievable goals, achieved them, and then set new goals to improve community, country, and the world. If you feel discouraged, read this book and give the lessons a try. As Deborah might say, individually and together we can create a better society and planet.”
~ Marc Brenman: Former Exec. Director of Washington State Human Rights Commission, served with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S Dept. of Education.
“Wow! What an incredible life and book. Deborah Levine is a masterful storyteller who weaves lessons in resilience through her personal experiences. Throughout her life, she has exemplified resilience in her ability to adapt, adjust, and flourish in spite of, or perhaps because of, the many challenges she has faced. Deborah truly mastered The Art of Resilience!”
~ Dr. Gail A. Dawson: Associate Prof. of Management, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Gary W. College of Rollins College/U. of Tennessee at Chattanooga