Gayle King Recommends Two Books to Help You Cope in Difficult Times

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Whenever I want to wind down after a long day working my jobs at CBS Mornings and at Oprah Daily, I usually opt for a tasty meal and an entertaining TV show. From feisty dramas like Succession to guilty pleasures like The Real Housewives of Potomac, television is my comfort place. But sometimes, instead of clicking on the TV, I'll reach for a book. My line of work requires me to do quite a bit of reading—it's important for me to do my research on the authors who come on the show. I also like to check out books that certain friends recommend.

This year, I flipped through countless pages and there were two books in particular that stuck out to me and made me think differently about life and its fragility.

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was already a writing phenomenon with her memoir Becoming, which sold more than 18 million copies and was featured as one of Oprah’s Book Club picks. I read her latest release, The Light We Carry, before joining her on her book tour. It is very timely and everyone should read it now. She believes that we all carry light and that, sometimes, we just need the right tools to ignite it. In the book, she provides the tools and practices she uses to get through times of uncertainty. What was most surprising to me though, is that Michelle Obama—who was named the most admired person in the world for three years—still has doubts and insecurities. While most of us won’t be first ladies, we can learn a lot from her experiences and philosophies.

The Modern Loss Handbook by Rebecca Soffer

During the last couple of years, many people experienced loss. Whether it is unexpected or you have braced for the worst, it never gets easy to lose a loved one. Death is a certainty in life, and yet when the inevitable happens, we often stumble through the grieving process without the tools to help or the words to express how we really feel. Insert The Modern Loss Handbook by Rebecca Soffer. Soffer joined us at CBS Mornings and I found her to be poignant, funny, and able to provide exercises that help you maneuver the rough. I’ve recommended this book to several people and they all told me that it was very helpful and that they got something out of it. I always thought if I were going through something, this is the book I want to read.

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