About the Book

"Do survivors of life's greatest trials possess a secret knowledge? Is there an art to survival-a map for crossing the wilderness-or daily life? Why do some people blossom through adversity while others stop growing? Drawing on twenty years' experience in this field, using stories, parable, and scientific data, acclaimed memoirist Mark Matousek gives the first-ever comprehensive look at this mysterious phenomenon of viriditas, the power of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from the unlikeliest places. Matousek interviews hundreds of well-known survivors-including Joan Didion, Elie Wiesel, and Isabel Allende-and experts such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jonathan Kozol, and Sogyal Rimpoche. He includes extraordinary testimonials, such as from a Tibetan nun imprisoned by the Chinese at age eleven and the women of Calama, Chile, digging for their "disappeared," among many others. Drawing insight and advice from these many heroic individuals, Matousek presents a chorus of wisdom for how to survive our own lives-the vicissitudes of being human-and prevail"--

Book Synopsis

Why do some people blossom through adversity while others fall apart? The answer: viriditas, the power of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from the unlikeliest places.

Review Quotes

"[An] absorbing compendium ... Matousek shows an uncanny skill for merging spirituality, science and common sense into practical answers for surviving our own lives." -Publishers Weekly

"In this new guidebook to keeping the psyche intact while being spun on life's roulette wheel, he talks to survivors...as well as experts in brain neuroplasticity and psychological resilience. Through their stories, strategies emerge about how to not only regain equilibrium after a serious hardship but also manage the free floating 'intuition of hidden yet imminent danger' that afflicts many of us even in the absence of major trauma." --O Magazine

"In this boisterous collection of true stories, Mark Matousek takes us from Himalayan peaks to a sit-down with Andy Warhol, from a homeless shelter to Joan Didion's Upper East Side apartment. Matousek knows everyone, tells all, and writes sentences that reverb like Zen koans. This book is a blessed departure from other 'survivor memoirs.' Matousek comes off as the most fascinating--and wise--cocktail-party raconteur you've ever met." --Pagan Kennedy, author of The First Man-Made Man and Black Livingstone

"Journalist and memoirist Matousek follows his 1996 memoir, Sex Death Enlightenment, with an exploration of 'viriditas, ' the phenomenon of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from unlikely sources. AIDS sets the stage for the author's inquiry into the resiliency some people display when faced with tragedy and trauma ..." --Library Journal

"Beautiful and true." --Rebecca Walker, author of Babylove

"Filled with remarkable stories, illuminating insights, and enduring lessons, this gorgeously written book makes the impossible, transformational. Matousek has found a way to live by listening, by going to the darkest and most beautiful places--and, gratefully, he takes us with him." --V (Eve Ensler), author of The Vagina Monologues and Insecure at Last

"Reading Mark Matousek's When You're Falling, Dive is like discovering a great artist's lost sketchbook. It is full of little wonders that change the way you see things. Bringing his journalist's eye to some of today's most provocative thinkers, Matousek takes us inside their minds, offering fresh counsel for perennial, but newly urgent, questions." --Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Thoughts Without a Thinker and Going to Pieces without Falling Apart

"When You're Falling, Dive reveals a secret known only to the few who have pushed through greatest adversity to find life's light on the other side. Matousek makes this wisdom available to us all ... a masterpiece." --Maria Housden, author of Hannah's Gift and Unraveled

"Like Dante's Inferno, Matousek's book shows us the tortures of hell--physical, psychological, political--and a host of real people who have inhabited that fiery pit and risen triumphantly from it. Matousek is a trustworthy guide, one who himself has struggled with angel-dem

About the Author

Mark Matousek, M.A. is an award-winning author, teacher, and speaker whose work focuses on transformative writing for personal, professional, and spiritual development. The author of eight books including Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life and Writing To Awaken: A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery, he is a featured blogger for PsychologyToday.com and has contributed to numerous anthologies and publications, including the New Yorker, Details, Harper's Bazaar, The Chicago Tribune, and O: The Oprah Magazine. He is the founder of The Seekers Forum, an online community for non-sectarian spiritual dialogue, and a founding member of V-Men (with Eve Ensler), an organization devoted to ending violence against women and girls. Mark offers workshops in self-inquiry and personal development internationally, using his Writing To Awaken method, which has helps thousands of people around the globe world to reach their artistic and personal goals. He lives in Springs, New York.