Books by Joseph H. Krakoff

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The Best Day is a story-driven memoir by Joseph H. Krakoff, a hospice chaplain who has devoted his life to visiting, comforting, and counseling people during the most profound moments of their lives. Told as a collection of 18 true stories, the book is equally suited to reading cover to cover, a single chapter at a sitting, or selected stories for book clubs and group discussions. Rabbi Krakoff is President and CEO of the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network (JHCN) in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and the author of Never Long Enough: Finding Comfort and Hope Amidst Grief and Loss.

If you are looking for a memoir or short story collection about finding joy in difficult times, this book will inspire you with true stories that show how an ordinary person can discover that life's hardest moments can become doorways into wisdom, peace, and unexpected happiness. How could the day you were fired become a best day in retrospect? How could there be anything good about being trapped inside an elevator plunging toward the ground? You'll find such surprising transformations in these pages.

That's why best-selling author Brian D. McLaren said, "I love Rabbi Krakoff's book. He defines happiness as 'a lifelong spiritual journey of reclaiming our resilience when bad things happen, and fully appreciating the wonderment of the good things that happen.' Through memorable stories from his life and ministry, and meaningful reflections on Scripture, Krakoff invites all of us deeper into that kind of spiritual journey in The Best Day."

And, there's so much more in these 18 stories. If you have ever wondered what hospice work and end-of-life care can teach the rest of us about how to live, Krakoff opens the door to this world, too. You will meet Ron, a man who moved home to die and instead lived another 13 months in which he experienced some of the best days of his life. You will learn from people nearing the end of life who have quietly taught him about love, peace, and what truly matters.

If you are searching for a path to hope after grief or hardship, The Best Day draws on the Bible and the world's great spiritual traditions, including Psalm 90's call to "number our days that we may attain a heart of wisdom." The Best Day is a perfect gift for caregivers, grieving readers, hospice and palliative care professionals, book clubs, and anyone who wants to live with more gratitude, presence, and resilience.

In creating Never Long Enough - a unique book about the end of life, Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff and artist Dr. Michelle Y. Sider brought together their many years of professional expertise with families. Krakoff drew on lessons learned in many years of counseling adults and children wrestling with death, grief and remembrance. Sider's years working as an artist, arts educator and psychologist influenced her approach in creating evocative images that demonstrate how art can help to unlock emotions and heal the heart. Together, they crafted an interactive keepsake book for families and friends, complete with pages to add personal reflections thereby transforming the book into an individualized tribute to a loved one.

Never Long Enough is designed to be read along with someone nearing the end of life -- or, it can be read by mourners after a death. Whenever this book is opened, it becomes an active invitation for conversation, lifting up memories and preserving the legacy of someone's life.

"For many years, I've been working with families to guide them through honest conversations about the legacy and the values that remain even as someone we love dies," Krakoff says. "This text has already comforted so many families through this difficult, emotionally charged time."

"I've seen how art can help people express themselves, bring out their feelings and tell stories. By weaving the words and art together, I hope the reader will move slowly through the pages and reflect deeply on the words. Reading and responding to this book as an individual or with loved ones becomes a very compelling and helpful experience." says Sider.

Krakoff originally developed the thought-provoking text while in Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. As he shared that text with families, he realized that powerful imagery would heighten the healing process of reflection. Sider, inspired by the text, envisioned pairing phrases in the poem to original art. Using various techniques, she created stirring images that powerfully illuminate the text, are inclusive of different ethnicities, religions and relationships and culminate in a final, powerful blend.

"I love Rabbi Joseph Krakoff's book. He defines happiness as "a lifelong spiritual journey of reclaiming our resilience when bad things happen, and fully appreciating the wonderment of the good things that happen." Through memorable stories from his life and ministry, and meaningful reflections on Scripture, Krakoff invites all of us deeper into that kind of spiritual journey in The Best Day."

"Rabbi Krakoff generously offers his life’s personal and professional experiences as an open book. The Best Day tells stories that are at times surprising, sometimes painful or sad, but always honest. Krakoff’s optimism is rooted in timeless Jewish teachings and wisdom and deepened by his life experience. In celebrating the fullness of life, Jews lift glasses and say La Chaim! To Life! Indeed, Rabbi Krakoff’s middle name is Chaim. The Best Day revels in life’s fullness." 

"As America's only practicing rabbi who’s also a professional standup comic, I know a great story. And I can tell you, Rabbi Joseph Krakoff’s The Best Day is a unique and ultimately uplifting collection of great stories. As you read each chapter, he keeps asking: What if one’s worst day (and as a hospice chaplain he has seen many), can become one’s best day? Krakoff’s newest book is a collection of stories to cherish and read again and again for comfort and inspiration."

"Rabbi Krakoff, who I’ve known as Joey since our kindergarten days together, is a very gifted storyteller. He humorously relates that larger-than-life moment when we compassionately buried a rat on our walk home from Palms Elementary School in Los Angeles. Throughout The Best Day, he seamlessly blends personal experiences like that one we shared with lessons and reflections that are applicable to all human beings, regardless of their religious beliefs. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I know you will too!"

"Life knocks us over in ways small and profound. In The Best Day, Rabbi Joey shows us how we can choose our response while calling on the critical importance of family and friends to carry us when we struggle to stand. Anger, fear, and disappointment can blind us to the opportunities and joys that follow our worst days. Rabbi Joey demonstrates the power we all hold by simply choosing kindness and forgiveness. Being there for a person in pain is something we all can do and our impact can resonate far beyond even the brief moment we invest."