Advance Praise for Manual For Living: Reality, A User’s Guide to the Meaning of Life

“All books are read differently. Some books allow me a fast tumble. Other books are slow and easy like a merry go round. Then, a few books are so poignant and practical I find myself not wanting to end the book but to stop in the middle and begin the book again. This is in hopes that I haven’t missed an important statement or question. Manual for Living by David Chernoff is this type of book. The words in the book are powerful. There are practical steps on how to handle life. This book could only have been written by a man who has faced life as an adventure. He has looked a deadly shark right in the eye. I knew this once I read about his life’s journey.

In my heart I want to take this book everywhere I go: to read before going to bed, to a dentist appointment, to a picnic where there is a large tree to shade me, a pond splashing with fish and birds singing. It is a book that I do not wish to end. Books like this are rare. Where will I find the next one? On almost every page is a quote to remember or note down about death, time, obstacles, living in the present, what truly matters in life, etc.

This is my way of saying the Manual for Living by Seth David Chernoff is a book special to me. I want to make its words a part of my life. It is spiritually remaking my life along with my Holy Bible. If you have the chance to pick up this gold mine to read, please do. It is saving me from wasting more time in my life. It is saving me from the fear of death. It is helping me in so many ways.” -Read With Tea Book Review Blog

“Manual For Living is more than that: it is a window to a fresh, new, hopeful vision for what it means to be human. Read it slowly, and feel the world shift inside you. A unique blend of practical and spiritual wisdom from a fresh new voice that needs to be heard.” Mark Gerzon, Bestselling Author

“Seth Chernoff has written a wonderful, thoughtful and compassionate book. It goes to the heart of what it is to be human. He speaks from deep personal experience. We highly recommend Manual For Living – Reality … Drink from its wisdom!” Ed & Deb Shapiro, authors BE THE CHANGE – How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

“Seth David Chernoff’s Manual For Living: Reality is a true manual on how to live one’s life to the fullest. Everyone has the sense that it is necessary to reinvent one’s self after a divorce or loss of employment, to mention a few. However, many people do not realize that it is possible to live a quality life at all times. People should be conscious of how they live their lives every day, and not just when everything goes wrong. Manual For Living is a spiritual guide that is best read in smaller sections. In fact, even the author discourages reading it from cover to cover. Each chapter offers advice, questions for self reflection, answers and suggestions for fulfilling a life’s purpose in a spiritual way.

I found the book to work for me as it put everything in my life into a greater perspective. I found a quiet time and place to read the book on a regular basis. Manual For Living is a guide to finding balance and reconnecting with your spirit. Some people are likely to be uncomfortable with the exercises suggested in the book. Their lives are busy, and they feel that they don’t have the time, energy or reason to reconnect with themselves. But the author feels this exercise is essential to living a better life, and he is correct – it is mandatory to getting it right. I have to admit that I was happier after reading Manual For Living. It showed me that there were simple moments of happiness that I had missed along the way. These were not necessarily milestones, but the common and everyday moments that are truly the most special, and which make up the best memories over time.

I’d recommend this book to everyone.” – Luxury Reading (Poppy)

Top Ten Reasons Why Manual For Living Is a Great Book!

It reminds us that “The present moment is all that exists, and is the only moment that ever will.” (p. 63)
An important truth that we’re only just beginning to realize “How long will it take for us to realize that we are merely stewards of this beautiful world in which we live?” (p. 89)
Living a life without drama! “Life without drama is simplicity…However, in simplicity, we find all that we require in life.” (p. 93)
Blaming God for our mistakes is just wrong. “We cannot blame a higher power for the choices we make that create the situation in which we find ourselves.” (p. 105)
Are we living the life we’ve been given? “What matters most is the quality of our life; the life we live in the time we have been allotted.” (p. 156)
The past v. the present. “Don’t we realize that we need to let go of the past in order to move into the present?” (p. 157)
Keeping up with the Jones’. “We use others as the benchmark for a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and by looking outside of ourselves, we will always find what we are lacking in our own life.” p.190

Think positively about yourself…. ask God who made you to keep on remaking you. Norman Vincent Peale

How can we be happy? “True happiness is fulfillment from the inside out.” (p. 196)
Again, is it right to be stuck on what’s happening with the Jones’? “We all seem to have the answers for everyone else’s life but rarely for our own.” (p. 211)
Giving. “We can serve others without taking on their pain. We can give to others without absorbing their suffering. We cannot carry another’s burden just as we cannot live another’s life.” (p. 240)

I hope you were able to tell with just those few glimpses the greatness of this book. It is a beautiful testament to life and living. A book to help one reach his greatest potential and grasp his dreams.” – A Novel Source

“A beautiful book of ideas for making our lives more meaningful and exploring that which lies beneath the surface in our minds. It was a book I would pick up and read sometimes at odd moments, sometimes when I was troubled and needed to read about one of the topics. I often read the sections over again on different days. The book is filled with a lot of positive thoughts and inspiration. It’s a different kind of book that’s a little hard to classify, but one definitely worth reading.” Joanne aka PT Cruiser

“This one gets four stars. I genuinely found the material educational and inspiring. The author’s suggestion to simply open the book at will and read proved to be quite inspired. Everyone should be able to find at least one section of the book that calls to him or her. This is definitely recommended for the spiritually inclined.” Beth’s Book Review Blog

“A direction in life is all some people need. “Manual for Living: A User’s Guide to the Meaning of Life” is a two-time cancer survivor’s plea to his readers to live their life to the fullest using the advice within. Stating the power of family, love, peace, changing one’s life for the better and being prepared for death, he has much to help readers fully embrace life. “Manual for Living” is a read that should be fully embraced by those who have lost their way.” Midwest Book Review

“Manual For Living gives you valuable insight necessary to enhance and enrich your life bringing you closer to fulfillment and true happiness. Manual for Living is full of wisdom to help you find your way. Every page is filled with human emotion about life, death, and everything in between. The writing is sharp and observant.” TCM Reviews

“The fact that Seth David Chernoff is a two-time cancer survivor is special, most can’t beat it the first time! However, I like how the book is setup in sections; Death, Time, Illness, Fear, Environment, Reality, etc. It makes it an easier read to go section to section. Each section isn’t very long although there are a lot of sections. With the sections being short, it feels that you are flying through the book. If you or someone you know is dealing with an illness, especially a life threatening illness, I think that this book could be very inspirational.” Shawn Ann’s World (Blog)

“I got to the section on “Fear of Death,” which addresses whether fearing death achieves anything, whether we can honestly experience life if we’re in constant fear of death, and, finally, what it is that we actually fear. This got my attention — and the book held onto it from that point. It discusses the importance of living in the present, perception, simplicity, change, and balance, to name a handful. For me, the most poignant and relevant sections of the book were those that dealt with releasing the past and not stressing over the future, in order to be “fully present to the magnificence of the moment.

This is a valuable book, one that you won’t read once and leave sitting on your bookshelf. It is meant as more of a reference, a book you look to for guidance and encouragement to cut through the garbage so that you can be at peace with yourself (and those around you) and live your life to the fullest each day. You won’t go wrong with Manual for Living, and it would be a wonderful and appropriate gift for someone who is stuck in a rut or dealing with difficult times.” Simply Stacie

“In the “Note To Reader” section at the beginning of the book, the author states that the book is not designed to be read from cover to cover, but instead to be read one section at a time. He suggests that you choose a chapter from the table of contents or randomly open the book when you need intermittent guidance. What a unique idea! Chernoff doesn’t hold anything back, he talks of death, time, illness, fear, the environment, reality, balance, happiness, peace and more. At the beginning of each chapter there are a few questions so that you can think about how your own life relates to that subject. There is also a quote related to each topic. I really enjoyed this book and think everyone could benefit from reading it.” – Reading At The Beach

“If everyone on this planet could have only one book, the Manual for Living would be my recommendation. Author, Seth David Chernoff carefully, concisely and accurately takes his reader on a step- by- step approach to the “art” of living. Not merely existing, in the cold, harsh physical sense, but living a happy, peace filled and full life. Uniquely beginning with “Death”, each chapter is only a few pages but filled with dynamic insight and practical recommendations on how to change our lives for the better. The vocabulary is easy to read and understand, the format is well laid out and complete, a book for everyone. Author, Seth David Chernoff is a two- time Cancer survivor, a marketing professional and author. He has an insightful approach that will enable readers to discover what all of us desire- our life’s purpose. Highly recommended” by Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review www.allbookreviews.com