The Gift of Forgiveness

Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable

By: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt

Narrated by: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt

Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

An instant New York Times best seller!

"[The Gift of Forgiveness] will spark conversations across families, across friendships, at workplaces, everywhere." (Maria Shriver)

A fresh, inspiring book on learning how to forgive, with firsthand stories from those who have learned to let go of resentment and find peace

"When we learn to embrace forgiveness, it opens us up to healing, hope, and a new world of possibility." (Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt)

Written with grace and understanding and based on more than 20 in-depth interviews and stories as well as personal reflections from Schwarzenegger Pratt herself, The Gift of Forgiveness is about one of the most difficult challenges in life - learning to forgive. Here, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt shows us what we can learn from those who have struggled with forgiveness, some still struggling, and others who have been able to forgive what might seem truly unforgivable. The book features experiences from those well-known and unknown, including Elizabeth Smart, who learned to forgive her captors; Sue Klebold, whose son, Dylan, was one of the Columbine shooters, learning empathy and how to forgive herself; Chris Williams, who forgave the drunken teenager who killed his wife and child; and of course Schwarzenegger Pratt's own challenges and path to forgiveness in her own life. All provide different journeys to forgiveness and the process - sometimes slow and thorny, sometimes almost instantaneous - by which they learned to forgive and let go. 

The Gift of Forgiveness is a perfect blend of personal insights, powerful quotations, and hard-won wisdom for those seeking a way to live with greater acceptance, grace, and peace.

A Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Life title 

©2020 Katherine Schwarzenegger (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"An inspirational book on learning how to forgive." (USA Today)

"Affecting.... Those looking for help with letting go and moving on will love [The Gift of Forgiveness]." (Publishers Weekly)

"Here's a sure conclusion from reading Pratt's book: The world would be a far better place if we practiced more of what the people Pratt profiles have discovered." (Associated Press)

I stopped 2 hours in..

This was very difficult to listen to about 1 hour into the book. I had a hard time understand why the authors own quick story of forgiveness over some fight with a friend could in any way relate to the horrible stories she’s compiled from actual survivors. The stories were hard to listen to and were such heartbreaking. I could not follow to the end. It made me more angry with each new story so I had to stop listening. I don’t understand the point of these stories or the reason she wrote this book.

Not balanced

Any questions or thought from husbands or fathers? No All woman

Slanted view about Judge Brett Kavanaugh

One voice told the whole story

Charles Stanley's Forgiveness book is so much better

Felt Political views from a liberal viewpoint

Thank you, Katherine.

Thank you for making the immense effort involved in writing this book. Like you, I had been unable to forgive a friend, one who purposefully hurt my child. It has taken me over 20 years to begin to able to see this person with compassion and to understand how deeply they must have been hurting themselves. The stories of those you've written about have helped me see my own hurt in perspective. Ironically, my child was able to forgive those who hurt her before I was. Now I'm seeing it from a new vantage point and will begin to let go and let god. A gift to myself!

Nice collection of stories but…

The stories in the book have inspiring elements, but it is my opinion it can be better enjoyed as a read. The author sounds very robotic in her audio delivery of such a potentially sensitive and moving topic; moreover, as a public figure with a very public story, she has with an opportunity to offer a vulnerable take on forgiveness. The opportunity is missed.

Missed greatness-generic.

The stories were powerful and in most of them I am surprised and in awe the person involved was able to achieve forgiveness. I feel like each story was the same in it’s reconciliation. I would’ve like to have heard more detail about the stories how they came to forgive, the methods they chose i.e. therapist etc. It was told from a generic point of you, The way it was written it appears these people came to the forgiveness idea so easy that It felt like the steps that would make this book important were missed. I find it utterly impossible that if a man were speeding down a hill, crashed into my car and killed my two children and my wife that I would have been able to forgive him within 10 minutes. Missed the mark for me.

Well worth the time

Hard to describe the unity in a collection of stories, but Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt has nailed it in the title. Probably the most meaningful thing to me is the difference between apology and sorry. They really are worlds apart.

Great material, mediocre writing

Too bad this book wasn’t written by a better writer. Extremely hard to understand why it wasn’t at least edited better. So many platitudes and overused words. It helped to play it very fast because the stories and the extra details in the well known ones were quite interesting.

The Gift of Forgiveness

Loved it. Great insights and reflection. Found the book from a Larry Naser survivor.

Not put together well

The stories are told well. However, they did not come together in a cohesive manner about forgiveness.

Refreshing

We all have a story, you’re not alone. Forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Who do you need to forgive ?