How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem

Following the death of his little sister and the publication of his New York Times bestselling memoir The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, Dreher found himself living in the small community of Starhill, Louisiana where he grew up. But instead of the fellowship he hoped to find, he discovered that fault lines within his family had deepened. Dreher spiraled into depression and a stress-related autoimmune disease. Doctors told Dreher that if he didn't find inner peace, he would destroy his health. Soon after, he came across The Divine Comedy in a bookstore and was enchanted by its first lines, which seemed to describe his own condition. In the months that followed Dante helped Dreher understand the mistakes and mistaken beliefs that had torn him down and showed him that he had the power to change his life. Dreher knows firsthand the solace and strength that can be found in Dante's great work, and distills its wisdom for those who are lost in the dark wood of depression, struggling with failure (or success), wrestling with a crisis of faith, alienated from their families or communities, or otherwise enduring the sense of exile that is the human condition. Inspiring, revelatory, and packed with penetrating spiritual, moral, and psychological insights How Dante Can Save Your Life is a book for people, both religious and secular, who find themselves searching for meaning and healing. Dante told his patron that he wrote his poem to bring readers from misery to happiness. It worked for Rod Dreher. Dante saved Rod Dreher's life--and in this book, Dreher shows you how Dante can save yours.

About the Author :
Rod Dreher has been an editorial writer and columnist for the Dallas Morning News, a film critic for the New York Post, and current senior editor at the American Conservative. He is the author of several books. Sean Runnette, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, has also directed and produced more than two hundred audiobooks, including several Audie Award winners. He is a member of the American Repertory Theater company and has toured the United States and internationally with ART and Mabou Mines. His television and film appearances include Two If by Sea, Cop Land, Sex and the City, Law & Order, the award-winning film Easter, and numerous commercials.

Review :
As a well-written chronicle of choice between the 'success' of big cities and life in the far simpler world of old traditions and deep family ties...-- "Kirkus" "A well-written chronicle of choice between the 'success' of big cities and life in the far simpler world of old traditions and deep family ties." -- "Kirkus Reviews" "Sometimes a book comes along that you want to press into the hands of everyone you know. A brilliant, searingly honest account of one man's path to real healing, and an invitation to the rest of us to join him." -- "Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Miracles and Bonhoeffer" "The writing is often beautiful and sometimes wise." -- "Publishers Weekly" "We will use How Dante Can Save Your Life in our classrooms because it makes the Divine Comedy live in a person--and students need to experience this. I look forward to the rest of you finding in Dreher's book the wit, wisdom, and application of the great poem to a small life." -- "John Mark Reynolds, author of When Athens Met Jerusalem"