This is a special book and I have passed it on to friends - it will change the way you think and cause you to grab the tissues! Must read..

I have only just this week finished reading this book . Recommended by a friend , her husband died two years ago in horrific circumstances. I would also recommend this book to any one struggling with loss and grief . Some times journalist ask some stupid questions ? How often do you watch a grieving parent having a camera and microphone in their face..How do you feel ? Well I just feel GREAT . I have just buried my son !!!! . some tears but also a few good thoughts throughout the book

Very interesting read of Leigh Sales personal challenges and career in the media.

An enjoyable insight into the life and thoughts of one of our top journalists.

Very much enjoyed this book and it was extraordinary to find out that not all journalists are seemingly impervious to the things they report on which can be horrific. I found the stories of the survivors of bad incidents interesting and to realise how hard it can be to overcome what life has thrown at them. Would highly recommend this book.

A very touching book, I would recommend to anyone whether or not you are going through a challenging time in your life.

Written with love and and deep empathy and certainly not a light read, but overwhelmingly resonating with anyone who has suffered bereavement or trauma. Very dense, beautifully written, and Leigh Sales has opened up her innermost heart in recording the stories, her reactions and observations of how we can choose to continue with life after loss. Not what could be described as an “enjoyable read,” but an enlightening one.

In her long career as a journalist, dual-Walkley Award winner Leigh Sales has interviewed many people on the worst day of their lives. She has seen disaster victims blinking in the bewilderment of sudden bereavement, and wondered how their stories resolved when the lights faded. What powers did these folk have to carry on, to bounce back and find joy in life?

"Any Ordinary Day" is a personal exploration of resilience in the face of such devastating ‘black swan’ events. Sales interviews many high-profile survivors of catastrophic events, from the Lindt siege to the Port Arthur massacre, linking their stories with a harrowing account of her own near-death emergency. This is not a chronicle of sad events, but more a philosophical study of coping mechanisms. We meet many fascinating survivors of unimaginable blindsides, and discover their views on fate, chance and meaning, some religious and some the very opposite. Along the way we also learn much about the huge effect that people surrounding victims in crisis can have, from exploitation by the media to the benevolence and honesty of counsellors.

This is a revelatory and touching book, full of curiosity and grace, that looks thoughtfully behind the scaffolding of our lives and the meanings we construct. I keep thinking about "Any Ordinary Day", and the moments of damned luck and chance that ripple out into waves - it makes you question the ordinary day you are probably having and your own journey so far. With this book, Sales has gifted us not only with perspective, but shown us the extraordinary strength we all have hidden within us. I fully recommend it to the empathic and thoughtful reader.