Eat The Strawberries (click to purchase)
From Midwest Book Review
With a voice that is both warm and intellectually rigorous, Bennett guides readers through life's hardest questions without dogma or pretense. Drawing from Zen, Stoicism, and modern science, Bennett offers practical wisdom for real-world challenges – always with compassion, clarity, and a deep respect for the reader's own journey.
"Eat The Strawberries: Face Your Challenges with Zen-ish Calm & Confidence" by Bennett Barouch deftly blends secular Buddhism and Western philosophy to bring ideas to life in a conversational way that makes them accessible, appealing, and useful to the reader. The ideas comprising "Eat The Strawberries" are relevant to personal and relationship challenges, stress and anxiety management, work and home, loss and grief, personal growth and philosophical exploration.
Many books on Buddhism for Westerners tend toward either being excessively academic in tone for the average reader, or offer shallow treatments of deep topics. "Eat The Strawberries" brings Buddhist teachings to light with warmth and depth that allow readers to put new perspectives to use in their complicated, messy, real lives. By presenting Buddhist thinking alongside Western thinking, ideas that may feel foreign in other books become readily accessible to readers raised in the West.
"Eat The Strawberries" offers you new things to think about, and new ways to think, without ever telling you what to think. This book will help you come to your own conclusions while respecting and depending on your ability to do just that. Whether you are urgently dealing with a major life challenge or leisurely exploring your personal worldview, this book will help you clarify who you are in your current circumstances, who you want to be regardless of your circumstances, and how to narrow the gap.
When we are anxious, stressed, angry, hurt, bewildered, we unwittingly amplify our pain, impeding our search for effective next steps that will bring peace of mind. Essentially, all too often we have things backward. Rather than searching for steps to produce peace once already distressed, we must practice peace of mind before we need it, so we can bring it to bear skillfully.
"Eat The Strawberries" is an exploration of ideas that will challenge your assumptions, enlarge your perspective, reinforce your highest values and best thinking, and help you handle life's challenges with Zen-ish calm and confidence.
Original, exceptional, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought provoking, life changing and life enhancing, "Eat The Strawberries: Face Your Challenges with Zen-ish Calm & Confidence" by Bennett Barouch is an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover. While this paperback edition is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary Buddhist Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that it is also available as an e-book.
Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review
Reader Reviews
I just finished reading the Kindle version and found so much of value that I bought the paperback version so I can highlight and mark up the text as I reread/study the text. UPDATE: I find myself returning to this book often. It is full of great advice. It introduced me not only to secular Buddhism, but also Stoicism. I apply teachings from this book, and those it has led me to, daily. K.H.
Eat The Strawberries takes an entire way of thinking about life and breaks it down into simple, actionable pieces. No matter what my day looks like, there is always something I can use from this book. Not another bathroom reader or 5-step system, this is a shift in perspective that will be useful for the rest of your life. J.M.
I recommend this book to family and friends because everyone's time is valuable, and shouldn't be spent on the many self-help books that aren't nearly as wise or helpful as they claim to be. I am sure I will find value in revisiting this book many times in the years to come. I believe everyone can benefit from reading Eat The Strawberries. E.V.
The ideas in this book really helped me separate what happens from how I feel about what happens. Seeing both more clearly, I am less distressed and more effective in tough situations. Life is hard. The ideas in this book help a lot A.E.
I picked up this book as an intro to Buddhism but found that it was also a powerful self-help book just when I needed one. E.M.
Things that were stopping me, blocking progress, draining me before I read Eat The Strawberries are no longer doing so due to the new perspective it has given me. S.G.
While I was already familiar with many of the ideas in this well-written book, I found that the author put them across with compelling clarity and interesting twists. Both for the familiar and novel parts within it, I found this book enjoyable and thought-provoking. I will return to it repeatedly H.A.
As a healthcare provider, I often see patients overwhelmed by the stresses of life, struggling to balance their health, relationships, and careers. Eat The Strawberries is a book I readily recommend – not just to my patients but to anyone seeking a practical and uplifting guide to thriving in the face of adversity.
What makes this book stand out is its grounded, relatable tone. The author takes the sometimes intimidating concept of mindfulness and transforms it into something accessible. … The book's strategies for reframing stress, building resilience, and finding joy align beautifully with evidence-based practices for improving mental and emotional health.
Eat The Strawberries is an excellent read for anyone ready to embrace a healthier, more balanced approach to life. It's the kind of wisdom I wish more of us could carry into our daily lives – and something I'll be keeping on my own shelf for regular inspiration. J.A.
Eat The Strawberries (click to purchase)