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| Do you believe that a story can change your life? That it can inspire you to be more happy, more confident and more caring? That it can lift your mood, clear your head and give you perspective? Now what about 101 of the most uplifting stories you’ve ever read about people reaching out, stepping up and transforming their lives and the world around them?
At Chicken Soup for the Soul, we know that a story can change your heart. It can touch your mind. It can free your soul. The moment might be as simple as a small child giving water to a dog on a hot day or as heart-wrenching as a parent responding with love to the murder of their child. It might be as common as a class of poor immigrants giving their young instructor a new coat she needed but couldn’t afford; as life changing as an unruly student learning to love math because of a dedicated teacher; or as monumental as the work of former President Jimmy carter. When we change one heart at a time- our own and then those around us-we create a better world. We hope these stories will touch your heart today. |
Author Biography: |
| Jack Canfieldand Mark Victor Hansen are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. Candice C. Carter, Susanna Palomares, Linda K. Williams and Bradley L. Winch are all active in and passionate about making the world a better place through openness, understanding and education. |
Reviews/Endorsements: |
| "What a splendid anthology of stories that tell so eloquently how each of us can make a difference as a peacemaker; sometimes spectacularly on the international level; but more often no less spectacularly, on an intimate personal level.” —Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town “I am proud to have my story included among dozens of other vibrant and inspiring perspectives on the never-ending struggle for peace. This is a volume which will open your eyes and gladden your heart.” — Arias, Ph. D., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, former President of Costa Rica, Founder, Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Rights “This collection of stories of real people practicing peace and nonviolence demonstrates that peace is always possible. They also confirm that practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love, compassion, and forgiveness, even in the face of mis-perception and conflict. Practicing peace requires courage.” —Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, scholar, and human rights activist. In 1967, he was nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr., for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is author of more than seventy-five books, including Being Peace, Old Path White Clouds, and Living Buddha, Living Christ. He lives at Plum Village, a meditation center in France, and travels worldwide, leading retreats on "the art of mindful living." “Every story in Chicken Soup for a Better World is a vision of peace for our future. Here is my challenge to you as you read this book: Open your minds, listen with your heart. You can make a difference!” "Learning how to create a peaceful soul is the most important calling of our time.....for ourselves, and for the future of our world. This book is a loving and instructive guide." “Life on earth is sacred, and we've got to learn to live in peace with each other. We can fix everything in the world if we decide to do it! This book's powerful stories will surely inspire readers to do just that--- to right the wrongs in our world! The stories also provide so many moving examples of HOW it is truly possible to live in peace with each other, on all levels.” “Years ago, when I wrote the lyric, "Weave, weave, weave me the sunshine, out of the falling rain. Weave me the hope of a new tomorrow, and fill my cup again." I never thought I'd read a book that would powerfully bring this hope and dream to life. To create joy and healing from sorrow and suffering is the stuff of the moving stories told in these healing pages. They hint that everyone can find his or her version of this great gift; one to be shared in different, perhaps, but always extremely significant ways. ”This remarkable and moving book confirms that those who follow the path these writers have chosen, not only provide a model of decency and humanity in a much beleaguered world, but enjoy, what may be, the most fulfilling of lives to which we might all aspire. Each one of these stories is an example of peace created or encouraged by the intention of generous hearts and hands. "Making peace has never been easy, and I cannot remember a time when it was more difficult -- or more needed. It calls for courage, self sacrifice and hard, hard work, the best that we can muster. Many are indeed rising to answer this call, and they need lots of inspiration and support. This wonderful collection will help them." “This book is a lovingly compiled and painstakingly profound work detailing the possibilities of the human spirit. It shows us in story after story how we CAN make this world a better place-and not merely wish it so.” “This collection is treasure chest!! Inside readers will find beautiful gems of celebration, appreciation, creativity, strength and joy. Each story is like a colorful thread that I will weave into the fabric of my work as a peace educator. The inspiration, support and modeling demonstrated within will not only strengthen my work but will also mend some of the gaps left by current resources. Building on the foundation of nonviolence, mediation, and conflict management trainings, the stories in this volume will create a bridge from where my students are to where they want to be. This book is a “must have” for anyone interested in nonviolence, peace, conflict management, character education, social emotional learning, service learning or bullying prevention. Not only are the stories powerful, compelling teaching tools, they also provide support and encouragement for all travelers on the path towards peace.” “Peace Lovers, rejoice! Here is a book that will open your heart to inspiration and action. These stories will re-awaken the living spirit of peace within you. They will thrill you, entice you, and invite you to remember that you too can make a difference, that you too are a builder of peace. Please do yourself - and the world - a favor by reading this book and passing it on to a friend or loved one. Then go out and make your own peace dreams come true!” "These stories show so powerfully that, when we listen with empathy, and speak and act with compassion, we truly can transform even the most volatile and challenging conflict into a situation where mutual understanding and respect triumph in the end! Our world will, without a doubt, be a better place when the multitudes of readers of this book begin to put into practice the joy and wisdom of connecting with others in the ways they find in these wonderful stories.” ”In this age of information overload, one of the rare things people really remember are metaphors, parables, short stories, pictures and photos, because they speak to the heart more than to the intellect. This is the immense value of the Chicken Soup series, which explains its unending success over the years. Many of the enclosed stories brought tears to my eyes: they cut across all barriers, because they speak to that common strain of humanity in all of us, to the original innocence and spontaneous compassion which lies - albeit sometimes dormant - in the heart of every human being.” “This excellent collection gets down to the real essentials where everyday peacemaking really happens. Peace is about everything that makes us human – our laughter, joy, tears, celebration, our desperation to ease another’s pain and our delight at the beauty all around us. This book reminds us of something we all know in our innermost hearts: peace cannot be delegated, but rather starts with you and me and the choices we make today.” “At a time when we are inundated with what is wrong, failing, and to be feared in our world, I can think of no more courageous act in advancing a global culture of peace and compassion then to acknowledge, together, all the good that is erupting around us. This remarkable book goes a long way in advancing that dialogue, and the practical hope it brings. Be part of the emerging global consciousness. Read it with your family and friends. Read it to your children!” |
