Young Rabbi Kushner’s three-year-old son, Aaron, suffered from progeria, a disease that causes premature aging; Aaron died in his teens. This tragedy culminated in the publication of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, a book that explores fate, unfairness, and how such things reflect on the goodness of God. The book was a months-long New York Times bestseller. Rabbi Kushner has written a dozen more books, including a number of bestsellers. He was rabbi of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, for 24 years. 

Harold Kushner’s son, Aaron, suffered from progeria, which causes premature aging and an early death. Aaron's tragedy forms the basis for Kushner’s book. The young boy’s determination to have a full life inspired his family, friends, and schoolmates, and he was blessed with kindnesses from many people. Aaron’s story touched members of Kushner’s congregation, giving them added strength and determination to overcome their own problems and suffering. 

Kushner presents God not as an omnipotent dispenser of favors and punishments but as a deity who has created a universe over which He has limited power.