This guide on how to find the positive in an intensely negative situation comes from the author’s own personal experiences dealing with the illness and death of her mother. Ahmed was used to taking her mother to and from doctor’s appointments with her long-term diabetic care, but when her situation deteriorated, and she was given a cancer diagnosis, things escalated quickly. From learning how to accept her mom’s situation to promising to be part of the fight, her journey has ups and downs, victories and losses. Ultimately, her mother lost the fight against cancer, but the author was able to achieve tremendous personal growth in the process and was inspired to write this book to help others walking down a similarly difficult road. Outlining 37 distinct lessons, she hopes others will learn as she did to use tragedy as a possibility for growth.

The titular lessons in the book are excellently formatted, providing some explanation as to what needs to be done and how it’s relevant to that moment in the author’s memories. Often these are helpfully followed with numbered action steps, providing a roadmap as to how to enact such a change in one’s life. Faith is a large part of the author’s journey, and so there are several quotes in this book from the Quran as well as from prominent Muslim philosophical figures to flesh out ideas and concepts. There is a strong sense of spirituality in this book which will make some steps easier for those who are similarly faithful, but this book contains a wealth of great advice for anyone struggling to handle the passing of a loved one or loss of something that they never expected to lose.

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