Here's the problem: 17 million Americans suffer from heart disease, and every year 1 million of them will be just lucky enough to survive a heart attack. They know they must change their lives--their diet, their stress, the amount of exercise they do. And not for a few months, but forever. Most don't do it. What they need, as much as low-fat recipes and fitness plans, is daily motivation--a reassuring yet no-nonsense guide to staying the course to heart health.

Here's the solution: From Joseph C. Piscatella, one of the longest-surviving bypass patients in the U.S.--31 years and...