WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2004

Koby Mandell was just thirteen-years-old on May 8, 2001, when he and his friend Yosef cut school to go hiking. Their bodies were found the next day. The boys had been brutally stoned to death in a cave in the heart of the Judean desert. The extreme cruelty of this act of terror shocked the world. How does a family cope with the loss of a child through such horror?

Koby's mother Sherri has penned this absorbing, deeply painful and yet strangely beautiful account of her loss, sharing her thoughts and emotions as she moves through the first stages of mourning. Struggling to find a way to carry on, she embarks on a journey of discovery and growing faith as she endeavors to understand her pain in the context of 3,000 years of Jewish history and tradition. The Blessing of a Broken Heart is at once heartbreaking and life-affirming, shot through with immense pain and yet also with immense beauty and courage. Sherri's determination to choose hope and faith over despair and hate are humbling and moving, and her journey towards light and healing is an inspiration.

SHERRI MANDELL was born in New York and graduated from Colorado State University, where she received her M.A. in creative writing. She taught writing at the University of Maryland and at Penn State. She is the author of Writers of the Holocaust, (Facts on File, 2000) and has written for numerous magazines and journals, including The Washington Post, Denver Post and The Jerusalem Post. She moved to Israel in 1996, where she lives in Tekoa with her family, and is now director of The Koby Mandell Foundation Women's Healing Retreats for Bereaved Mothers and Widows.

Hardcover, 235 pp.

Size: 8¾"x5¾"

ISBN-10: 159264029X
ISBN-13: 978-1592640294