Marrow: Love, Loss, and What Matters Most

"Well, the book is less about the sister’s bone cancer, and of Elizabeth’s being the perfect match, than a story of emotion and of clearing the air. Sisters can be very close, but often there is a lot of tension too. And I found it a very compelling read and also quite honest, rather frank. Unfortunately, Lesser’s sister died. But the fact that she donated her marrow brought them very close. Closer than they had ever been before. I thought the book was really emotionally intelligent and shared not only how they felt as they went through the process, but how they dealt with how they felt. And for that reason I see this is as a gripping example of a book showing how to practise emotional intelligence. Well, you can start almost anywhere. You could start with the characterisation of someone who knows you well, someone whose opinions you trust and value. What do they say about you in those four domains of awareness, self-mastery, empathy, social skills? Where are your strengths? Where could you get better? Once you get a sense of where you could get better, then mindfulness is a powerful first step, seeing how you habitually act, think, and feel in a particular way, and then seeing how you can change for the better."