Man’s search for understanding why bad things happen to people have raised many issues and challenges resulting to some questioning their faith. When tragedy occurs many are quick to ask why, and begin to question God for allowing those things to happen. We often blame others, ourselves, or even God, resulting to bitterness, hatred, and even loneliness. How tragic the news is when we hear something very distressing or how awful it is when it hits so close to home. Why do we react in that manner? Why must we blame God? Why do bad things happen to good people? Harold Kushner’s, When Bad Things Happen to Good People allows one to better understand why he wrote the book and his positive insight bringing light to a seemingly dark matter.

Kushner is a Rabbi, a man of God, whom “spent most of his life trying to help other people believe, and was compelled by a personal tragedy to rethink everything he had been taught about God and God’s ways (p.3)”. Hence, it was difficult for Kushner to fathom why or how this could happen to him, his son, and his family. It is easy to sympathize with Kushner because we would probably have reacted in the same way if we were in his shoes. True, it seems unfair how bad things can happen to some, more than others, especially if one attempts to live a life led by God and believes in the goodness of the world, we ask, "how can God let this happen? Kushner contends that the main reason he wrote this book was to “affirm life”, to fulfill his desire to express the “important things he learned from his experience, to help others deal with a similar fate, to those whom may be angry with God and find it difficult keep the faith, and to the faithful whose love for God resulted to blaming and persuading themselves that they deserved to suffer (p.6)”. Further, Kushner felt compelled to express himself, share his experiences and understanding of when tragedy occurs, and from...