Ben's Blog

Invitation to Participate in Survivor Strengths Study... As part of the research for my new book, I'm working with a team of experts to develop a powerful new way to measure an individual's survivor strengths. To date, we've interviewed more than 100 survivors around the world. From those conversations, we've developed a questionnaire to help improve and expand our understanding of the most common and critical survivor strengths (like resilience and adaptability). The questionnaire was created by TalentMine, a leader in the field of measuring and developing people's strengths.

Our definition of survivor is quite inclusive. We’re interested in men and women who have faced extreme life threatening situations, like hostile fire in war and nature’s fury. We’re also focusing on people who have survived life’s more every day challenges like crime, disease, accidents, economic hardship and domestic struggles. In addition, we're concentrating on “co-survivors” – men and women who help friends and loved ones through their challenges, especially illness.

If you feel like you've survived or "co-survived - adversity - I'd like to invite you to participate in the research phase of our study. It takes around 15-20 minutes on the internet and it’s very easy to log in.

The Website URL is: http://www.survivorstrengths.com/. The research code is: survivorsclub

Your answers will be kept strictly confidential. We’ll take your responses and compare them with survivors around the world. When we’re done analyzing all of the data, we’ll send you a report with our findings. Also, with your permission, we may include your survival story in my upcoming book.

Also, I hope you’ll forward this URL and research code to colleagues, friends and family who have survived or “co-survived” some of life’s challenges. We’re trying to enlist as many survivors and co-survivors in this research phase as possible: The more results, the more robust our conclusions.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email. Again, 15 minutes on the internet and you’re done.

Many thanks in advance.

It's been a long time .... It's been many months since my last update, so I've got some news to share. After two and half action-packed years, I left ABC News and Good Morning America in September to work full time on a non-fiction book about survivors. It will feature the true stories and uncommon wisdom of men and women who have been truly tested by life. I'm interviewing a range of fascinating survivors, including most recently U.S. Senator John McCain who endured nearly 6 years as a POW in Vietnam. In addition, I'm speaking with every day survivors of more commonplace challenges like disease, crime, natural disasters, and economic hardship. I'm also working with some of the world's leading experts on survivor psychology. I hope you'll write with your own survivor stories - I'm very interested to hear from you. And I'll keep you posted on my progress. PS - My next novel, Lucy the Unforgettable, is on hold for the moment. But stay tuned.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for all your emails, thoughts and good words in 2005. Wishing every one of you peace, love and wonder in 2006!

Richard & Judy! Thrilling news from the United Kingdom. The big afternoon television show, Richard & Judy on Channel 4, has chosen Charlie St. Cloud as the first title in its popular Summer Read program. On June 8th, Richard & Judy will feature a discussion of Charlie led by Amanda Lamb, presenter of another Channel 4 show, A Place in the Sun. To see the other five books chosen, click here. A British friend tells me this is the equivalent of a novel being picked by Oprah's Book Club. I plan to visit London in June to see Charlie in bookstores and to celebrate with Picador, my wonderful publisher.

Death and Life... If ever a news story captured some of the plot points of Charlie St. Cloud, consider this AP report from North Carolina. After getting hit by a car at a busy intersection, a man was presumed dead, put him in a body bag and sent to the county morgue. His family was immediately informed that he had been killed. Later at the morgue, a medical examiner discovered he was in fact alive, moving his hands and feet. A trooper with the state Highway Patrol was promptly dispatched to tell the family that their loved one wasn't dead after all.

Long Time II ... Apologies for disappearing over the last months. So many of you have kindly reached out with e-mail, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply. Here's my explanation (and excuse). Last April, after receiving an offer I couldn't refuse, I dove back into the news business as executive producer of ABC's Good Morning America. It's been an exhilarating eight months with lots of fascinating work and not much sleep. Then in October, Karen gave birth to young Will Sherwood, measuring 20.5 inches and weighing 7 pounds 8 ounces. We feel much blessed as we're stretched in every direction. But now that work and baby have settled down a little, I'll update this diary more regularly. Many thanks for your continuing interest in Charlie St. Cloud and The Man Who Ate the 747. More soon....

Long time... Greetings from Dublin, Ireland, where I've spent the last couple of days on Charlie St. Cloud book tour. It's been a while since my last posting. Please forgive me. Here's the latest. Charlie is hitting the stores this month in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the response has been quite enthusiastic. Glamour magazine in the UK has picked Charlie as the "must-read" book for June. Company magazine, a trendy women's glossy, gave it five stars. And we're just getting started. I fly back to New York tonight and will share more news soon.