Product Description

'Grace and Grit' is the compelling story of the five-year journey of psychologist Ken Wilber and his wife, Treya Killam Wilber, through Treya's illness, treatment, and finally, death. It is a rare book - a love story that brings the perennial wisdom of the ages to life in all the anguish and exaltation that comprise the human condition. The author's wide-ranging commentary - which questions both conventional and New Age approaches to illness - is combined with Treya's journals to create a vivid, vibrant and honest portrait of health and healing, wholeness and harmony, suffering and surrender. An extraordinary testimony to the power and beauty of the human spirit, 'Grace and Grit' at the same time conveys many sustained insights into the difference between spirituality and religion, into psychotherapy and women's spirituality and into meditation and its scope and meaning in today's world. It is a life-changing work. 'An inspiring and profoundly moving story of an extraordinary love-match told by both partners as they are tested to their limits and each grows and deepens in personal understanding and depth of relationship.' Dr Robin Skynner 'A deep and searing look at living, dying, loving, death and resurrection.' M. Scott Peck Other books by Ken Wilber Marriage of Sense and Soul A Theory of Everything A Brief History of Everything.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30477 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 419 pages

About the Author
Ken Wilber is one of the most widely read and influential American philosophers of our time. He is the author of over a dozen books including 'The Marriage of Sense and Soul', 'A Brief History of Everything', and 'A Theory of Everything'.

Customer Reviews

Reservations
I liked this book but I did not love it. In particular her journal excerpts show that Terry / Treya writes very beautifully, simply and honestly about her experience. That was worth reading. It seems to me that both people, Treya and Ken, suffer because they try to distance themselves from cancer and regard it as an enemy to be conquered. In so doing they distance themselves from each other. Their "introspecting", sometimes almost like hearts on sleeves stuff except that it is obviously sincere, can, for an English reader, be very off-putting at times - the continual trawl through the different philosphies and cultures for an "answer". You feel that with the considerable breadth of their knowledge already, if only they had just stuck with one philosophy and meditation practice, instead of being conscious of having to find out everything there is to know about every other practice in order to report it in their writing and their letters (for posterity?); to help everyone else with their cancers; being available for other people - a kind of do-goodery though I don't mean that nastily - Treya may have found peace a lot earlier. I can say for this book, however, in spite of nit-picking its minor faults, that it offers food for thought.

grace and grit - the story of treya kilham wilbur
I have just read this book and found it fascinating. It combines a love story with the story of someone living with cancer and her beliefs - also outlines their spiritual philosophies - ken wilbur is already known for his books on spirituality and transpersonal psychotherapy. The book takes you through Treya's story and can be read as a story without reading the spiritual philosophies if that is what you prefer. It also details all the therapies, both conventional and complementary that Treya tried during her illness.

For any couple confronted with cancer
This book is an important read for couples dealing with cancer. It is not so much for any advise on treatments but to allow you to share in the experiences of another couple who went through some of the ups and downs that you too will experience.

The book deals with Treya's very important contributions about comming to terms with her illness as well as with Ken's (bless his heart) customary erudition. As always he is helping us to understand various contributors (as well as his own insights) into our evolution as elements of the perpetual Spirit. His passges on the subject might be too much for the unintiated and a further education for those initiated in his writings.

His discussions on meditation offer an insight into the subject for those unfamiliar and a contrast of methods for those initiated.

We (as a couple) have been through something similar with a less potent cancer and it was comforting to be able to know that we have not been alone in our experiences.