Listen free for 30 days

  • Option B

  • Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
  • Written by: Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant
  • Narrated by: Elisa Donovan
  • Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (147 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Option B cover art

Option B

Written by: Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant
Narrated by: Elisa Donovan
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $35.09

Buy Now for $35.09

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

From Facebook's COO and Wharton's top-rated professor, the number-one New York Times best-selling authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life's inevitable setbacks.

After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. "I was in 'the void,'" she writes, "a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe." Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.

Option B combines Sheryl's personal insights with Adam's eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart - and her journal - to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl's loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere...and to rediscover joy.

Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead.

Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. "I want Dave," she cried. Her friend replied, "Option A is not available," and then promised to help her make the most of Option B.

We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.

©2017 Sheryl Sandberg (P)2017 Random House Audio

What the critics say

" Option B is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. Here are stories of sometimes unimaginable pain and loss, but also of how human beings nonetheless have the capacity to endure and even thrive. This book is not just an absorbing read. It also provides lessons that everyone needs to learn." (Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal)
"Illuminating, original, and deeply inspiring, Option B is one part riveting memoir, one part heal-your-heart boot camp, one part stories of others who learned to thrive in the face of profound loss: a practical, vital contribution to the literature on loss and resilience." (Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild)
"I recommend this inspiring book to everyone around the world. None of us can escape sadness, loss, or life's disappointments, so the best option is to find our Option B." (Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner)
"Narrator Elisa Donovan's palpable empathy adds to her authentic delivery of this profound and personal audio. With relaxed pacing and conversational phrasing, she makes the pathos and advice unfold with unfailing grace.... The heartfelt wisdom in this audio, along with Donovan's sensitive performance, make it a high-impact listen for people suffering from all manner of loss and trauma." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Option B

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    68
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    69
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • SK
  • 2021-07-28

Bottomline it's about resilience

Very well narrated. an interesting mix between the story of how Sharyl lost her husband and "her" going on. She did mention a little bit all those disadvantaged who lack the support and the money to go on after losing a partner and make new first time experience like watching the launch at SpaceX with Elon Musk. There was a little bit of Adam Grant in every chapter but I was hoping for more. Some chapters sounded like an advertisement for Facebook and there was too much of "we at Facebook".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it! wished to hear Sheryl's voice.

Thank you for your candor, vulnerability and strength. A mix of memoirs, stories, and study.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MD
  • 2024-02-11

Many great perspectives, too much name dropping

I really liked this book and thought it presented many great perspectives and lessons.
I felt that the name dropping and gentle bragging about accomplishments were unnecessary and detracted from the overall message.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Moving forward

Whether or not you have experienced profound loss or not this book is presented in a way that changes we should approach loss. The story is well told and factual, thought provoking and motivating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The book I didn't know I needed

I thought this book was going. To be about resilience in business or be a 'professional development' read. Turns out it was emotional compelling and something I needed to listen to when I struggled so hard with losing loved ones in my life. So happy I (accidentally) grabbed this book ...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of Life left to live

For anyone whom has experienced a great loss, this book will help you navigate through and realize that there is life after loss.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!