Meant to Be
by Walter Anderson

List Price: $13.95
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0060099070
Publisher: Perennial

This true story begins when Anderson, a 21-year-old Marine sergeant recently returned from Vietnam, stuns his mother with the question that has inexplicably haunted him from his earliest years: Was the alcoholic, abusive father who had so tormented him in his childhood his real father? Her truthful answer: Walter was born of a war-time love affair between his German protestant mother and the Russian Jewish man she loved. He keeps their secret for nearly 35 years -- until the day he meets an unknown brother -- another son of his real father -- who has lived a similar, nearly parallel life.

Meant to Be is a love story, a journey of self-discovery and spirituality, and a provocative challenge to common notions about the role of heredity in our lives.

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1. Walter Anderson attributes his drive and eventual career success to his mastery over his childhood difficulties. Is there a correlation between ambition and overcoming hardship?

2. Walter confronts his mother about a secret she has kept for so many years. Are children entitled to know their parents' pasts?

3. Walter finds out that he is the biological son of a Jew. What are Walter's responsibilities to the faith of his father?

4. Walter lived with the secret of his parentage for years. How does living with a secret affect intimate relationships?

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"A marvelous book ... Only a man truly at peace with himself could write with such rigorous honesty ...beautifully written."

—Bill Bradley

"I stayed up all night reading ... A great story beautifully told by a great story-teller."

—Edward Klein

"One courageous man’s pursuit of the American dream."

—Booklist