A Short Course in Kindness: A Little Book on the Importance of Love and the Relative Unimportance of Just about Everything Else

The first thing that struck me when I read this inspirational little book was Forrest's proactive definition of kindness. Kindness is not an insincere compliment or an empty "call me if you need help." Kindness requires us to give something of ourselves. It doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice, either. It is one part empathy, one part compassion, one part charity. Kindness is giving the perfect gift without the holiday. But more than telling us what kindness is and isn't, Forrest inspires the reader to be kind. She does so most powerfully by seeding her pages with first-hand accounts of the effects of kindness on every day people like you and me. For this reader, these stories conjured memories of kind acts that were bestowed upon me, reminding me how a smile or a hug at just the right moment got me through some of my most painful experiences. Surely, I thought to myself as I read, these are things I could do for others. And that is my favorite part about reading A Short Course in Kindness. The feeling I come away with that kindness is inevitable. It is in our nature. Despite the horror that the news media report to us every day, examples of people being kind to each other abound. I wish this book was required reading! Forrest's writing style is warm and humorous, and she isn't afraid to share her own painful experiences. The chapters are short, yet quite moving. I find it makes for great reading whenever I catch myself with a few minutes to spare. I'll read a few pages at bedtime, click off the light, and slip off to sleep feeling peaceful and optimistic. It's the kind of book that you will want to read more than once. (A Short Course in Kindness is featured in the Turn On to Life! home-study course. The Turn On to Life! Free Newsletter features a new self-help book review each month.) ©2005 Curtis G. Schmitt / TurnOnToLife.com

Kindness is not wimpy, not "nice", not for the faint of heart. In this little gem of a book Ms. Forrest shows us time after time that kindness takes courage, strength and ultimately the decision in the moment to reach out to those around us, one by one. "We can save the world, because we are the world," the author tells us. There have been a few titles in my lifetime that I have given to the people in my life who are closest to me. "A Short Course in Kindness" has joined that list. Buy this, read it, and then live it in your day to day life - you won't be sorry.

If you desire to have a kinder, gentler, more compassionate soul when dealing with others or when dealing with life itself then this book provides a roadmap to get there. "A Short Course in Kindness" points out the difference between just being nice, which many people are at times, and being truly kind. Kindness is a way of life, a way of being. The author points out techniques to learn to be kind by empathizing with others and as well as techniques to learn how to be kind to yourself (an aspect of kindness that many people overlook). Not just content to explore kindness, she also explores the enemies of kindness and how to keep them at bay. If you want to change yourself and change your world you can't go wrong with this book. "A Short Course in Kindness" is a recommended read.

...I read it cover to cover. I loved it. It's well-crafted and real, and has some new ideas worth considering. It opened my heart and made me feel lighter about life, which was no small task. I got a kick out of the "call to arms" in the last chapter. I'm giving copies to colleagues, friends and family. This one's a gem.

A Short Course in Kindness really hit the spot. In a world where meanness and cynicism have become so much the norm that we think we don't notice them -- we think of them as being hip -- this little book reminds us what we are missing. The writing is easy, the attidude is straightforward, the examples you will recognize and cherish. I think it belongs in every motel room next to the Gideon Bible. It should certainly be required reading for anyone who goes to a movie these days, or reads a thriller, as antidote to the slick, unfeeling way the world seems to be. Check it out.