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Susan Jane Berg

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The Girl Who Lived Kindle Edition

by Susan Berg (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 72 ratings

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The Girl Who Lived is the true story of Susan Berg, the sole survivor of a boating accident that claimed the lives of her parents and brother, and what it took for her to love life again.At fifteen, Susan was on a boat trip with her parents and brother when their vessel began to sink. Desperate to find help, she swam ahead, struggling through darkness and rough sea. After nearly four hours, Susan, exhausted and barely able to walk, finally made it ashore. Her family did not.
Wracked by survivor guilt, Susan began to rebel against the world. Looking for solace in sex and party drugs, she charged down a path of self-destruction. Though barely able to look after herself, she became a mother at twenty and had to navigate for two. It was not until many years later, when Susan cheated death for a second time, that she learned to love herself, and life, again.

This is a candid, dramatic and powerful memoir for anyone who has ever lost their way.

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From the Inside Flap

If you love life, life will love you back - Arthur Rubinstein

About the Author

For more than 30 years, Susan's greatest fears in life were open water, sharks, and public speaking.

In 2016, after her autobiography was published, Susan was challenged to face her fear of water and swim the world's largest open water event - the Lorne Pier to Pub - with the aim of raising money for victims of domestic violence. It was a challenge she hesitantly accepted.

It took considerable time for Susan to prepare both mentally and physically. The first four months of her training were particularly difficult, as she struggled to swim just 25 metres in a pool without suffering severe anxiety. Despite the obstacles, Susan persevered and achieved her goal on the 7th of January 2017 (refer video at: youtu.be/HPXBvoUKwgE).

Six weeks after accomplishing the Pier to Pub Challenge, Susan achieved her greatest challenge yet - swimming "The Rip" - across The Heads from Point Nepean to Point Lonsdale - the most notorious, unpredictable and dangerous stretch of water in Australia and one of the top ten most dangerous in the world!!

Incredibly, Susan then accepted a challenge to swim the English Channel in a relay - a swim she completed on 17 August 2018. She is now training to swim from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island - a 19.7km event in Perth, Australia

Susan says that she is facing these challenges as part of her ongoing journey of self-healing, and to encourage others to confront and overcome their own fears.

"Fear is in the mind," she says. "We all have the ability to face our fears and live a happy and fulfilling life."

Susan strives to share her learnings and amazing passion for life with others. She has become very popular as a keynote speaker, presenter, and conductor of workshops.

To learn more, visit Susan Berg's website: susanberg.com.au

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B014QDRXLK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Affirm Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6330 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 358 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #3,187,105 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #16,153 in Biographies & Memoirs of Women
- #46,838 in Memoirs (Kindle Store)
- #49,716 in Women's Biographies

Customer Reviews:
3.9 72 ratings

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Susan Jane Berg

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Since the drowning death of her family, Susan has had a crippling fear of open water and sharks.

In 2016, after her autobiography was published, Susan was challenged to face her fear of water and swim the world's largest open water event - the Lorne Pier to Pub - with the aim of raising money for victims of domestic violence. It was a challenge she hesitantly accepted.

It took considerable time for Susan to prepare both mentally and physically as she had fiercely avoided open water for more than 30 years. The first four months of her training were particularly difficult, as she struggled to swim just 25 metres in a pool without suffering severe anxiety. Despite the obstacles, Susan persevered and achieved her goal on the 7th of January 2017 (refer video at: https://youtu.be/HPXBvoUKwgE).

Six weeks after accomplishing the Pier to Pub Challenge, Susan achieved her greatest challenge yet - swimming "The Rip" - across The Heads from Point Nepean to Point Lonsdale – the most notorious, unpredictable and dangerous stretch of water in Australia and one of the top ten most dangerous in the world!!

Incredibly, Susan then accepted a challenge to swim the English Channel in a relay - a swim she completed on 17 August 2018. She is now training to swim from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island - a 19.7km swim in Perth, Australia.

Susan says she is facing these challenges as part of her ongoing journey of self-healing, and to encourage others to confront and overcome their own fears.

“Fear is in the mind,” she says. “We all have the ability to face our fears and live a happy and fulfilling life.”

Susan strives to share her learnings and amazing passion for life with others. She has become very popular as a keynote speaker, presenter, and conductor of workshops.

Susan knows first-hand that life can be short. She has therefore elected to use the English Channel Relay Challenge as a way of raising funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation, to help children aged 3-18 with life-threatening illnesses to fulfill their own dreams.

To learn more, visit Susan Berg's website: www.susanberg.com.au

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

72 global ratings

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Murray W

Inspirational and Tragic

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

“The Girl Who Lived” is one of only two books that I read all the way through in one sitting. The other was “The Firm” by John Grisham. I literally could not stop reading until it ended. From the author's harrowing tale of losing her family in a boating accident, through her tumultuous relationships, I was captivated from the beginning.

Considering all the sugar coated political correctness in the mainstream, Ms. Berg tells her story with honesty and realism. It was a breath of fresh air. Her story hits upon all the emotions. Sadness, anger, laughter, and inspiration. Considering her story begins with the death of her parents, she could have easily given up and succumbed to depression and death herself. But she instead chose to move on and live her life, which is all any of us can really do. Her story teaches an important lesson, that no matter what bad things life throws at us, we can either live in the past or plan for our future. The choice is ours.

I recommend this book to anyone who has known tragedy as a child.

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Peter

Worth a read for sure

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016

Verified Purchase

Plainly written ,but from the heart and a great read . Made you feel thankful for what you have . I especially liked it because I grew up on the Mornington peninsula and could relate to the places mentioned. I have relatives and friends that played for kids in the kitchen so there was even a direct link for me

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

Not what I was expecting as a female motorcyclist.

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Amazing & heart felt stories
This woman has been through so much yet understands the importance of living
At times I felt for her & wanted to hug her - thank you for a great read

Helpful

Judi Barr

Heartwarming and emotionally exciting.

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent story although very sad. We always feel sorry for ourselves until we see what others have gone through. I recommend it for anyone who likes a good heartfelt experience.

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Karen W.

Captivating from the first page.

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

Captivating from the first page. Make sure you have time to sit and read it through, because it is one of those you don't want to put down.

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Sally Davis

Such tragedy and search for love. Amazing

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

I couldn't put it down. Read this in two days. Such tragedy and search for love. Amazing!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016

One day Susan Berg was just a normal teenage girl with two parents, two sisters and a brother. Keen to try out the boat he has recently purchased, Susan's father invites his family along for the ride. Setting out in the freezing waters near Melbourne Susan and her parents and brother are not far into their journey when disaster strikes and their boat sinks. Initially they stick together, but soon Susan becomes separated from the rest of her family. Content with the knowledge that her brother (who is a champion swimmer) is with their parents, Susan strikes out alone, battling extreme cold and fatigue as she swims with the sole purpose of getting help. Miraculously she finally makes it to shore on a small island in the bay and finally raises the alarm. But devastatingly when searchers set out the next morning the bodies of her parents and brother are found and Susan's life implodes.

It is hard to fathom just how devastating the accident is for a fifteen year old girl to cope with. Although she still has her two older sisters, Susan is sent to live with a foster family but struggles to retain any sense of normalcy. Battling survivors guilt, hate mail from strangers, sexual abuse from those she should have been able to trust and unending grief at what she has lost, Susan's life over the following years is chaotic. Becoming pregnant at a young age is unexpected, but turns out to be the first of many major life events that sets her on a better path.

Susan tells the story of her life experiences in a frank and open way, leaving out none of the less savoury details. What is the most striking about this story is Susan's ability to pick herself up after some incredible setbacks and keep moving forward. Despite not completing her education she manages to forge several different career paths, achieving success in different fields. Susan's story makes you realise that some people really do have more difficult cards dealt than others and helps you gain an appreciation for your own good fortune.

The Girl Who Lived is an amazing story. Although devastatingly sad and raw in places, it is ultimately a story of hope and the strength of the human spirit when pushed to breaking point.

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Top reviews from other countries

Delight

Very hard to put down.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

Quite an amazing story of a tragic circumstance and the impact that had on a young girl's life for many years afterwards. Very much worth a read.

Tan

The girl who lived! - Finally a book you'll struggle to put down.

Reviewed in Australia on April 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

This has to be one of the best books Ive read in a long time. Completely compelling and finished it in two nights. First night struggled to stop reading, to get at least a few hours sleep before work.
Susans raw truth and incredibly touching story filled with traumatic experiences that lead her down destructive paths, and the real life events that shaped a women who rose above it all with her I will survive attitude and positive motivation to live. Such a brave heart and beautiful soul and now public speaker motivating other women that are struggling with abuse.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

AMAZING

Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

this is the most beautiful, brave and touching biography I've ever read, much love to Susan and William X X

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The Girl Who Lived Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

About the Author

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About the author

Susan Jane Berg

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