Review of Keys to Harmony

Post by **Magdalyne chebet** » 21 May 2025, 12:03

[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Harmony" by Margalit Jakob.]

5 out of 5 stars

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Opening up about something so hurtful, like being depressed, is hard even for people close to us. Margalit Jakob, the author of Keys to Harmony: A Memoir of Depression, Daring, and Creativity, defied all odds, and she decided to share her experience from childhood until overcoming her depressed moments. Despite the challenges her parents went through, like losing loved ones to the Holocaust, they brought her up well and loved and cared for her. They supported her. They even bought her a piano. They even helped her find piano lessons even when they moved a lot. But how could someone as well-brought-up as Margalit fall into depression? How was her journey through the depressive episodes?

What I loved the most about the story is how Margalit Jakob never stopped at any moment looking for help from different professionals when she felt she wasn't getting the kind of help she needed. Her resilience amazed me. I also loved how, despite fighting depression, she was able to take care of her children even when she wanted to commit suicide; the thought of her children enabled her to seek professional help.

Another aspect was how determined she was to confront her deepest fear, which was the root of her depression. Her classification of depression according to her experience was really incredible. On a personal level, I congratulate her for not giving up on her dreams even when people like Pogromski tried to demotivate her. I also admired her love for psychotherapy and music, both of which she later used to help others.

I learned a lot in the book, one being the importance of having supportive partners like Elisha and committed and understanding psychiatrists like Dr. Gold. I love that Margalit found a way to help others through her experiences; as people say, experience is the best teacher. Her love for music really pushed her to be the best. The themes of resilience, loss and grief, religion, mental health, and education were well-developed throughout the book.

Keys to Harmony was exceptionally well-edited, as I found no grammatical errors in it. The book was not without flaws; the foreign Jewish words meant that I had to check the glossary each time to know their meaning. I would love it more if their meanings were put in parentheses just after the foreign words. Another thing was the font size; I would love it to be enlarged to avoid straining the readers. However, the book's strengths far outweigh the drawbacks; hence, I give it a perfect rating of 5 out of 5 stars. It was educational and heartwarming to read through a real person's depressive moment.

I recommend this book to adult readers, especially those going through depression, and therapists or psychiatrists because this book will help them understand clients and come up with the best depression management strategies.

******
Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Post by **Kutloano Makhuvhela** » 28 May 2025, 05:21

Outstanding. I agree, mental illness is something that so not freely talked about in the public square because of stigmas are that are attached to it. The author broke that seal of shame and decided to write about it, and this is good. I think I will read this book after reading your review.

Chi Chiu Michael Mak · Post by **Chi Chiu Michael Mak** » 30 May 2025, 22:57

Magdalyne chebet wrote: ↑21 May 2025, 12:03 [Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Harmony" by Margalit Jakob.]

5 out of 5 stars
Share This Review

Opening up about something so hurtful, like being depressed, is hard even for people close to us. Margalit Jakob, the author of Keys to Harmony: A Memoir of Depression, Daring, and Creativity, defied all odds, and she decided to share her experience from childhood until overcoming her depressed moments. Despite the challenges her parents went through, like losing loved ones to the Holocaust, they brought her up well and loved and cared for her. They supported her. They even bought her a piano. They even helped her find piano lessons even when they moved a lot. But how could someone as well-brought-up as Margalit fall into depression? How was her journey through the depressive episodes?

What I loved the most about the story is how Margalit Jakob never stopped at any moment looking for help from different professionals when she felt she wasn't getting the kind of help she needed. Her resilience amazed me. I also loved how, despite fighting depression, she was able to take care of her children even when she wanted to commit suicide; the thought of her children enabled her to seek professional help.

Another aspect was how determined she was to confront her deepest fear, which was the root of her depression. Her classification of depression according to her experience was really incredible. On a personal level, I congratulate her for not giving up on her dreams even when people like Pogromski tried to demotivate her. I also admired her love for psychotherapy and music, both of which she later used to help others.

I learned a lot in the book, one being the importance of having supportive partners like Elisha and committed and understanding psychiatrists like Dr. Gold. I love that Margalit found a way to help others through her experiences; as people say, experience is the best teacher. Her love for music really pushed her to be the best. The themes of resilience, loss and grief, religion, mental health, and education were well-developed throughout the book.

Keys to Harmony was exceptionally well-edited, as I found no grammatical errors in it. The book was not without flaws; the foreign Jewish words meant that I had to check the glossary each time to know their meaning. I would love it more if their meanings were put in parentheses just after the foreign words. Another thing was the font size; I would love it to be enlarged to avoid straining the readers. However, the book's strengths far outweigh the drawbacks; hence, I give it a perfect rating of 5 out of 5 stars. It was educational and heartwarming to read through a real person's depressive moment.

I recommend this book to adult readers, especially those going through depression, and therapists or psychiatrists because this book will help them understand clients and come up with the best depression management strategies.

******
Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

It pains me to see that the source of her passion, the piano, also ended up being the source of her pain. How did she overcome it? That's what makes this book interesting.