Book Reviews

Sandy takes us on her personal adventures in India, with all the ups and downs and uncertainties of the unknown. She confronts social, family, and professional challenges with refreshing openness, vulnerability, and determination. I was right there with her, sharing both the anxiety and the joy…every step of the way
Rita Golden Gelman, author of Tales of a Female Nomad and more than seventy children’s books
May This Be the Best Year of Your Life is a compelling and powerful memoir of a family torn by conflict and crisis, but ultimately redeemed by faith and love. Sandra Bornstein’s courageous spirit shines through the writing.
Marsha Lee Berkman, coeditor Here I am: Contemporary Jewish Stories from Around the World
The writing style is clear and captivating, thus allowing the reader to identify if not visualize the author’s journey. May This Be the Best Year of Your Life is to Sandy’s story what “May the Odds Always Be in Your Favor” is to (the film) The Hunger Games … it is a motto of encouragement and empowerment. Rabbi Bernard Gerson, Congregation Beth Shalom, Denver
In this evocative roller coaster of a memoir, rich with moments of personal reckoning and profound self discovery, Bornstein abandons her majestic yet familiar surroundings in Boulder to explore the foreign culture of Bangalore India, and her own emotional landscape. shows us that the only way to grapple with uncertainty is with patience…. and the only way to assuage fear is with an open heart. Bornstein redefines her future on her own terms with great spirit, supported by faith and love. Janet Ungless, former contributing editor at MORE

May This Be The Best Year of Your Life is the story of one woman’s struggle to define herself as a wife, mother, professional and spiritual seeker. It describes her commitment and persistence in spite of daunting obstacles. To read it is to discover an inspirational, compelling model for living a thoughtful proactive life.
Betsy Katz, faculty member Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Gratz College, and Florence Melton School
May This Be the Best Year of Your Life is incredibly inspiring without ever being preachy, Sandra’s story reminds us that instability and uncertainty exist in even the most established lives. Her candid account of facing life’s hurdles leaves you with a sense of “bring it on,” eager to experience the positive change that ultimately comes from bumps in the road.
Abby Lerner, Executive Web Editor at SHAPE