Ten Years Later : Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives (Hardcover)

Product DescriptionNew York Times bestselling author and belovedToday show co-anchor tells the incredible stories of people who, when faced with impossibly challenging or tragic life situations, persevere—and even thrive—and asks, What if you, facing a game-changing event or decision right now, could see ten years into the future?Through years of perseverance, purpose, and passion, Hoda Kotb landed a spot with Kathie Lee on theToday show, won numerous journalism awards, and gained valuable life lessons. Now, after captivating readers in her blockbuster memoirHoda, she turns to stories about others who have undergone personal transformation against great odds.InTen Years Later, Hoda chronicles six amazing stories by identifying a game-changing event in her subjects’ lives and then revisiting those lives a decade later. We meet Amy Barnes, who took the leap to escape an abusive relationship, lost an astounding 340 pounds, and now encourages women like her to cultivate their mental and physical strength. There’s also Ron Clifford, a civilian hero of 9/11, who saved the life of a burn victim in the wreckage of the towers—only to learn the same day that his beloved sister and niece were passengers on Flight 175. Patrick Weiland, a former network producer who won a Peabody at age twenty-two and later spiraled into drug addition, demonstrates the power of a second chance.Ten Years Later is a firsthand testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. Through inspirational life stories, Hoda shows how adversity can unleash our best qualities: resilience, perseverance, gratitude, empathy, and creativity. This book will inspire you to believe in the future, no matter how dark the present, and tap into the ability to reach your highest potential.About the AuthorHoda Kotb was named co-anchor of the fourth hour ofToday in 2007. She has also been aDateline NBC correspondent since 1998 and is aNew York Times bestselling author for her book,Hoda. The three-time Emmy winner also won the prestigious 2006 Peabody Award, the 2003 Gracie Award, and the 2002 Edward R. Murrow Award. Her most recent book isWhere We Belong, and she resides in New York City.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Ten Years LaterINTRODUCTIONEver asked it? With your nose pressed up against a mental crystal ball, your eyes squinting and your heart pounding, have you ever asked:What will happen if I . . . ?Fill in the blank: get a divorce, win the lottery, am diagnosed with cancer, quit my job, suddenly lose someone I love.We’ve all wondered about a what-if and wished for time’s guidance. We want time to say to us, “Yep, you’ve made the right decision.” Or “Everything’s going to work out just fine.” But (hmph!) time won’t tell. Not until we take a first step. Time then takes over, slowly turning our what-ifs into realities. The days, months, and years eventually reveal, like a Polaroid, a clear picture of how significant events and decisions ultimately shape our lives.From time to time, I’ll look back through the personal journals I’ve scribbled in throughout my life, the keepers of my raw thoughts and emotions. The words poured forth after my dad died, when I went through a divorce, and after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. There are so many what-ifs scribbled on those pages. I was desperate to know whether one day I would feel happy again, that I would find love again, that I would survive. How intriguing to look back at those past fears now that I have the benefit of hindsight. It made me think, What if I asked other people to take a look back at their greatest challenges with a decade’s worth of perspective? What an interesting concept for a book. Plenty of us, including me, have struggled to take a first step toward an uncertain future. We’ve all prayed for the patience required to heal our pain, one excruciating day at a time. We’ve all wondered, in our darkest hours, how life could possibly change for