“What does it mean to be human?" asks acclaimed psychologist and talk-show host Dan Gottlieb at the beginning of this award-winning book. The answers are within.

With the gentle and guiding voice that has endeared him to millions of readers and listeners, Dan describes how we gain deeper wisdom and understanding from the unexpected events in our lives. A classic storyteller, Dan provides tender and deeply affecting “lessons” that reveal his own very human vulnerability as well as the love and generosity of others. These revelations come from an author who has experienced many forms of loss in his own life.

From the moment he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him quadriplegic at the age of 33, Dan found himself facing the kinds of questions that most people encounter over the course of a lifetime. In the process of rebuilding his career, his family, and his life, Dan made discoveries about what all humans have in common, including a longing for love, understanding, and security. And he learned that the speed of life only takes us further away from what we long for.

In this audio, Dan is unstintingly generous in sharing the thoughts and feelings that have touched the lives of so many. From “Our Orphanhood” (why the universality of loneliness can make us feel less alone) and “We, the Wounded” (how wounds may be inevitable, but so is healing) to “What Our Children See” (how parental stress can shape a child’s future) and “Holding My Mother’s Hand” (a moving recollection on the death of a parent), Dan reflects on the challenges that all of us face as humans and the feelings that, too often, we do not allow to surface.And, finally, Dan succeeds in answering the primary question: What does it mean to be human? His answers—challenging and reassuring, humorous and transcendent—are sure to touch the heart of every listener.