Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor's Message of Hope and Celebration of Life - Hardcover

by Gidon Lev (Author), Julie Gray (With)

"To me, hard times are like hide-and-seek--where is the solution, where is the hope? We can never give up looking for these things because they are just waiting to be found." --Gidon Lev

On May 8, 1945, when he was just ten years old, Gidon Lev was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp after four nightmarish years. Twenty-six family members, including Gidon's beloved father and grandparents, were murdered in the Holocaust. Only Gidon and his mother survived.
From the depths of despair, a little boy who had lost so much was determined to build a life filled with adventure and love. And that is exactly what he did. Today, a spritely and cheerful octogenarian and father of six, Gidon speaks to celebrities and diplomats all over the world and has taken social media by storm--all with his signature candor, charm, and wisdom.

Just what makes this Holocaust survivor, rascal, and dogged optimist tick? Sharing remarkable stories from his extraordinary life, Lev reveals his secrets of happiness and fulfillment. From reconciling with the sometimes painful past to embracing this singular gift called life, Gidon has never taken a day of his life for granted--and neither should we.

"You don't get the life you want," Gidon says, "you get the life that you get."

Let's Make Things Better is the story of an indomitable spirit whose cheerful determination to never give up is just what we need during these uncertain times. Now more than ever, Gidon Lev has important lessons for us all about life and how to live it well: having the courage to stand up to hate, living for the moment, believing in ourselves, nurturing loving and caring relationships, and always, always believing that a better world is something worth fighting for.

Author Biography

Gidon Lev was born Petr Wolfgang Löw in 1935 in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) in the Czech Republic. He was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp north of Prague in 1941 at the age of 6, and remained in the camp until liberation in May 1945. Married twice, Gidon is the father of six with fifteen grandchildren and two great-granddaughters. He now lives in Northern Israel with his life partner of many years, Julie Gray.

Julie Gray is a writer and native Californian whose work can be found in the Times of Israel, Moment Magazine, the Huffington Post, the Jewish Journal the NY Post and many other publications. She has spoken and taught about storytelling techniques at Warner Bros. Studios, Cal Arts, the London Screenwriter's Festival, The Haifa International Film Festival as well as the Weitzman Institute and the IDC in Israel. Julie has volunteered with the Middle East Peace Initiative, USAID, Kids for Peace, Amnesty International and Combatants for Peace.