Respect

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot explores six different themes of respect by profiling six individuals that she associates with those qualities. I found the book uneven between the chapters, but that is because I found some of the people she profiled more interesting than others. I particularly enjoyed her chapter on David Wilkins, the Harvard Law School Professor; his strides for excellence seems to measure merely his own inadequacies (his was the chapter on Self-Respect). I was fascinated reading about him. Still, I would recommend this book taken as an exploration--not definitive, not a self-help book, and not an exposition. But it is inspiring, challenging, informative, and she writes very well.

I attended a three day conference in Utah recently at which Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot was guest speaker. The topic of her speech was centered on giving and getting respect, and she read liberally from the book's last chapter. It was profoundly moving to listen as she recounted her interview with a family who had lost their 19 year old son to leukemia (?) ... the writing style was near poetic. The emotional intelligence was pure and strong. I have ordered the book and am looking forward to learning more about the reciprocal nature of respect and it's powerful effects.