Author: Myra Goodman & Mendek Rubin
Publisher: She Writes Press
To be Published: April 2020
Press Release
Quest for Eternal Sunshine – A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey from Darkness to Light chronicles the triumphant, true story of Mendek Rubin. A brilliant inventor, Rubin overcame both, the trauma of the Holocaust and decades of unrelenting depression, to live a life of deep peace and boundless joy.
Born into a Hassidic Jewish family in Poland in 1924, Mendek grew up surrounded by extreme anti-Semitism. Armed with an ingenious mind, he survived three horrific years in Nazi slave-labor concentration camps while virtually his entire family was murdered in Auschwitz. After arriving in America in 1946―despite having no money or professional skills―his inventions helped revolutionize both the jewelry and packaged-salad industries. Remarkably, Mendek also applied his ingenuity to his own psyche, developing innovative ways to heal his heart and end his emotional suffering.
After Mendek died in 2012, his daughter, Myra Goodman, found an unfinished manuscript in which he’d revealed the intimate details of his healing journey. Quest for Eternal Sunshine – the extraordinary result of a posthumous father-daughter collaboration―tells Mendek’s whole story and is filled with eye-opening revelations, effective self-healing techniques, and profound wisdom that have the power to transform the way we live our lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Myra Goodman is a well-known pioneer in the world of organic food and farming. In 1984, she and her husband, Drew, founded Earthbound Farm, which became the largest grower of organic produce in the world. The Goodmans have been credited with helping to bring organic food to the mainstream, and Myra was one of four farmers chosen by the James Beard Foundation and US Department of State to represent the United States in a prominent “conversations” video at the entrance to the US pavilion at the 2015 World’s Fair. She has appeared on national television shows including Oprah, Regis & Kelly, and Good Morning America Health; has been featured in hundreds of publications, including People magazine, the Costco Connection, More, Forbes, the New York Times, and AARP; and is the author of three cookbooks. Myra and Drew have two grown children and continue to live on their original farm in Carmel Valley with their three yellow labs, Oscar, Henry, and Leo.
CONNECT WITH MYRA
Website: questforeternalsunshine.com
Twitter: @QuestSunshine
Facebook: @questforeternalsunshine
Mendek Rubin was a Holocaust survivor and brilliant inventor who helped revolutionize the jewelry manufacturing industry, generating numerous patents in the 1960s and 1970s. After he retired from the jewelry business, he invented the equipment to wash and package baby greens for Earthbound Farm―the first company to successfully market ready-to-eat salads for retail sale. Mendek also applied his genius to his own psyche, creating innovative ways to overcome the trauma of the Holocaust and live a truly joyous life. He is the author of two books: Why Not Now, a book of poems and prose, and I Am Small, I Am Big: The Way We Choose to Live, a book about positive thinking written for children. A self-taught artist and nature photographer, Mendek died in September 2012 in Carmel Valley, California, at the age of eighty-seven.
ADVANCED PRAISE FOR QUEST FOR ETERNAL SUNSHINE
“Mendek’s story is one of the grand, improbable, tragic, heroic, and triumphant memoir stories of our times―more unlikely than fiction. It demands to be shared.” —Gordon Wheeler, president of Esalen Institute, clinical psychologist, author, and teacher
“A moving and inspiring story of courageous change from enormous suffering to a wisdom that transforms heart and mind! We can all learn from this.” —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
“Mendek’s unique and beautifully told story is one of the most inspiring healing journeys I’ve ever read. I’ve savored this gem of a book many times, and each time, I am amazed and filled with awe. If you want to be deeply inspired, buy this book today.” —Laura Davis, author of The Courage to Heal and I Thought We’d Never Speak Again
“This luminous book is a gift to the world.” —Nikiko Masumoto, co-author of Changing Season: A Father, A Daughter, A Family Farm
“…this narrative gives us hope for the future. It is a treasured contribution to the understanding of human resilience and our potential for change.” —Rabbi Leah Novick, author of On the Wings of Shekhinah: Re-Discovering Judaism’s Divine Feminine
“I wish I’d known Mendek Rubin, but reading this book is the next best thing… I found myself underlining and writing stars in the margins, so I could go back and savor his wisdom, and his humor. His story is humbling, riveting, and inspiring.” —Sara Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of Loose Change and Joan: Forty years of Life, Love, and Friendship with Joan Didion
“The book provides a brand-new perspective on how the Holocaust affected not only those who were personally touched by it but also the members of succeeding generations.” —Robert Greenfield, journalist and author of National Jewish Book Award winner Temple
“This is a must-read narrative that stands out among the vast literature of the Holocaust for its honesty and passionate embrace of life, love, joy, and purpose in the wake of unimaginable loss…We can all learn so much from this wise and wonderful man.” —Carol Lynn McKibben, author of Racial Beachhead: Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town
“Shining throughout Mendek Rubin’s remarkable story—one unlike any other—is a daughter’s love and devotion to her father…Not only is this the story of one man and one family’s life, it is a deeply moving testament, a love story, from a daughter to her dad.” —Patrice Vecchione, author of My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry and Speaking Your Truth
“Mendek is good medicine for these times…This book is an affirmation of the entirety of what it means to be human, and it communicates the possibilities inherent in living our lives openheartedly. Learning from Mendek was not just an intellectual experience―my heart was truly touched, and I will never be the same.” —Patricia Wolff, Buddhist teacher, psychotherapist, and chiropractic physician
DISCLOSURE NOTICE: We are a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. Our participation does not influence our content, but it helps offset the costs involved in providing you with free information.
