On the left, a cover of the Bruce Feiler's book "Life is in the Transitions: Mastering Change in a Nonlinear Age." On the right, a photo of Bruce Feiler, wearing all black, smiling and sitting on the stairs of a fire escape.

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Bruce Feiler's latest book, "Life is in the Transitions," analyzes how hundreds of people across the country got through difficult life transitions, and what lessons we can learn from their experiences.

Credit: Penguin Random House / Jonica Moore

As the world navigates a holiday season unlike any other, in a year marred by struggle and uncertainty, it can be hard to make sense of it all. And while 2020 may be exceptional, author Bruce Feiler argues that life's disruptions are not out-of-the-ordinary events.

In fact, he has written a new book which comes along at just the right time. It’s called Life is in the Transitions, which reframes how we approach life’s upheavals — or, as Feiler calls them, “lifequakes.” For this book, he interviewed hundreds of people to learn how they had coped with major life changes, like losing a job, getting a divorce, or any other number of destabilizing events. His book tells their stories and offers us insight into how we can utilize skills and tools to emerge on the other side of a transition.

Feiler is the author of six New York Times best-selling books, including The Council of Dads and Walking the Bible. Political Rewind host Bill Nigut spoke with Feiler in a program sponsored by the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum earlier this month. We hear their conversation about Life is in the Transitions and how these stories can provide meaning and value behind life’s turbulence.