The Secret of a Bulletproof Spirit - Random House Press Release

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February 2009

Dear Editor/Producer:

The timing for THE SECRETS OF THE BULLETPROOF SPIRIT: How to Bounce Back from Life’s Hardest Hits (Ballantine Books Hardcover; March 2009)—which shows us how to take any of life’s heart-breaking hits and come out on top, and also reveals a practical plan for becoming much more emotionally resilient for the future—couldn’t be better. 

 We as a nation are reeling under the current economic crisis, and all of us are going to need to learn how to “bounce back” from the many hits we are taking personally and collectively.  As millions lose their homes or the equity in those homes, as millions more struggle with unemployment or the very real possibility of job instability on the horizon, we are certainly in the midst of a financial fiasco unlike any experienced before.  As we watch our retirement funds dwindle, many of us are realizing that our lives might be forced to take a very different shape than the ones we originally envisioned for ourselves.

What we need is a message of hope, a strategy for survival, and a plan for growth in the face of what many see as a grim or frightening future.  In a feature or segment, internationally honored author, speaker and peace activist Azim Khamisa (who has an impressive background in international finance) and author, inspirational speaker and Interfaith minister Jillian Quinn can deliver an informational and inspirational message—revealing the keys to being emotionally “bulletproof,” and sharing practical, immediately applicable strategies that they themselves have used to transcend their own heart-wrenching personal losses.  These strategies apply to every aspect of our lives, including: 

• Relationships—use the “F” word, in a positive way
• Finances/career—transform a “hit” into the meaningful work you’re meant to pursue
• Parenting—reconsider consistency and banish “busyness”
• Spirituality—create a “sacred space” in any environment

Azim Khamisa endured one of the worst hits most of us imagine—the murder of his only son in a random act of gang-related violence.  Rather than letting this devastating loss destroy him with bitterness or the desire for vengeance, Azim reached out to the shooter and his family because he was sure that there were “victims on both ends of that gun.”  Jillian Quinn has overcome and thrived in the face of many hits—ones that many people relate to—including living with severe chronic pain as a result of a permanent and painful neurological injury and the loss of a baby daughter six months into her third pregnancy.  She went on to adopt a daughter who had taken her own brutal hit when she lost her mother.  Both authors have dramatic stories to share, with strong visual elements.

It’s no accident that the phrases “taking a hit” and “bouncing back” have begun to pop up in our cultural lexicon with increasing frequency, even urgency.  The economic crisis has had a profound impact on all of us, and this intense “hit” we’re all facing compounds the many personal losses (our marriages, health, dreams for our lives) we all endure just because we’re human!  In this uncertain and volatile environment, Azim Khamisa and Jillian Quinn can show viewers how to develop an emotional “bulletproof vest” we need—a way to take any hit and come out on top.

More information about the book is available at www.bulletproofspirit.com.  Let’s talk soon about Azim Khamisa, Jillian Quinn and THE SECRETS OF THE BULLETPROOF SPIRIT.

Sincerely,

Lisa Barnes and Diana Franco
Publicity, Ballantine Books
212/572-2014/ lbarnes@randomhouse.com
212/572-2533/ dfranco@randomhouse.com