Beyond Chicken Soup: Toward a Life Worth All the Considerable Bother

In this thoughtful and inspiring guide, Fitzgerald offers a refreshing alternative to the self-focused, personal-growth literature that dominates bookstore shelves. Toward moving "beyond chicken soup," Fitzgerald presents 52 weeks of transformative meditations and daily reflections designed to shift the reader's attention a little more toward 'other' ways of thinking.

Each week features a powerful reminder message followed by seven thought-provoking interrogatives that challenge the reader to examine their beliefs, choices, and priorities. With wisdom that speaks to the soul rather than the ego, Fitzgerald addresses topics that range from forgiveness and humility to courage and authenticity, all the while promoting the idea that true happiness comes not from self-gratification but from creating meaning.

As University of Pennsylvania Professor Michael Zuckerman notes in his foreword, this is "not an ordinary book but one that keeps company with the seers and sages across time and cultures." Complete with artisan bread recipes that encourage readers to "bake three loaves each day; place one in thy larder; leave two in hunger's way," this unique volume offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking a life of genuine fulfillment rather than fleeting pleasure.

"How did Tom Fitzgerald get inside my head and know exactly what I needed to be told?"

RABBI HAROLD KUCHNER

AUTHOR OF When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"Beyond 'Chicken Soup is a delightfully penetrating book that lays the steps to wisdom at your feet. Reading Tom Fitzgerald is like having your own personal spiritual mentor at your side each day."

MARTIN J. WETHERILL

AUTHOR OF Eye of the Storm and You Make a Difference

"Anyone in search of a more rewarding and a more fulfilling life, and who is ready to be challenged head on, will find real nourishment in these pages."

ROBIN S. SHARMA

BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

"Beyond 'Chicken Soup reaches out and grabs you by the heart, the mind, and the soul."

DAVID A. SHAPIRO

AUTHOR OF Choosing the Right Thing to Do

"Beyond 'Chicken Soup is like having a mentor, a wise elder, in our midst. Tom Fitzgerald, the mentor who speaks to us, has the voice of one who has been through the vagaries of a well-spent life and come through his struggles and triumphs with a gentle, helpful wisdom. It is a voice we all yearn for."

CAROLYN NORTH

AUTHOR OF The Experience of a Lifetime

"If Tom Fitzgerald's philosophy of living were adopted by everyone, we would know little of crime or man's inhumanity to man."

GINNY GOFF GREEN

AUTHOR OF Watering Wilted Flowers

"A fascinating book for anyone who seeks happiness, inner wisdom, or simply peace and is willing to look in new places to find it. Thoughtful, deep, original, and useful."

MARIAH BURTON NELSON

AUTHOR OF The Unburdened Heart: 5 Keys to Forgiveness and Freedom