Author(s): Daniel Gottlieb

Mind, Body & Spirit SPECIALS

In the nearly 30 years since the accident that made him a quadriplegic, Dan Gottlieb has developed a quality of awareness that most people never achieve. His accident made him an outsider among us ("like a foreign correspondent," as he puts it) and from that vantage point, he has acutely observed the way we humans act, think, feel and live in short, what it means to be human. Here, he files his report. Written with humour and honesty, a gift for storytelling and a great depth of compassion, Learning from the Heart addresses issues that divide as well as unite us, such as family life, the challenges facing the disabled and elderly and issues of injustice. In Letters to Sam, Dan wrote to his grandson. Here, he addresses his readers directly. Fans of his work will recognise the voice and the format: short chapters that are anecdotal, reflective and wise, revealing and deeply personal, but that resonate with universal truths.