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Jan 05, 2008

David rated it:

This seems like such a promising concept for a book - "based on the NPR series of the same name, 80 essayists - from the famous to the previously unknown - complete the thought that begins the book's title".

But the result is - despite being a bestseller - a dreadful book. If I had checked it out in a bookstore, rather than buying it on Amazon, I might have figured it out from the back cover. Here are the four 'quotes from inside' that the publishers use as a teaser:
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1 comment like (12 people liked it)

Jun 20, 2008

Danine rated it:

Like a lot people I listen to "This I Believe" segments on NPR. I am so inspired every time I hear one of these essays read aloud on the radio. I love how three words make me think about the way I see life and evaluate my own personal philosophies of life. When I found out that there was a book I made it a goal to read it.

I am a natural pessimist. This I believe. I LOVE being nice to strangers and to the people in my life. Sometimes, though, I wonder why I even bothe More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 25, 2007

Kip rated it:

I enjoyed this book. I've heard a number of the essays on NPR, and I've visited the website (www.thisibelieve.org) on multiple occasions to read these "personal philosophies of remarkable men and women." This book brings a lot of the better essays together in a single volume.

There are a number of reasons why I was drawn to this book in the first place and why I found it inspiring after I finished reading it:

1) I am fascinated by the whole notion of faith or beli More...

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Oct 16, 2007

Leela rated it:

This print copy of essays written and read for the NPR series by the same title is sweet and lovely, diverse, and by turns light and deep. From the pizza guy to barbeque, from prominent politicians to the mom down the block, it covers a lot of ground. The effect is to generate conversations and intimacies that might otherwise never have developed. For starting conversations that you never have the time to start, for getting into the heads of people we think we know, and for stimulating person More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Deb rated it:

If you had 3 minutes to clearly state what your beliefs are, could you do it? What would you say? Would you talk about your religious beliefs, or the lessons your mother taught you that you still live by, ideas from books you've read, or the things you learned through living your life?

This collection of "personal philosophies of remarkable men and women" consists of short essays, written both in the 1950's and in the early 21st century, as part of the "This I Belie More...

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Oct 12, 2010

Dave rated it:

A tough one to rank and file, such a wide swatch of opinions from both contemporary and historical composers from all walks of life. A super idea that first became popular in the 50’s and then was reborn by NPR in the 90’s with the advent of web write ins. Each pronouncement is a maximum of 750 words. Collectively, these emotionally charged essays read more like dense, rich poetry. Imagine stuffing the outcome of a lifetime of experiences into a two page letter called, “This I Believe.” That sai More...

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Jul 08, 2010

Joanne rated it:

An eclectic compilation of audio essays from both the 1950s and the 2000s. Some are brilliant and moving, some are garbled, some arrogant, some quirky -- all a good representation of the American public, I'd say. I'm strongly biased towards the more modern ones, which seem to be more focused, rather than talking broadly about truth, justice, and the American way all in 300 words. I"m also surprised by how put off I am by the elocution of the 1950s females -- everybody sounds like Julia Ch More...

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Jan 18, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

In my commitment to read 52 books this year, I made a list of ones I want to read, have bought to read etc. This title was one that I had borrowed from the library, since it was recommended reading from Ali Edwards during an online class I took. It's from the NPR, and it's a collection of short essays from different people. On what they believe. It was a quick read. Great food for thought.

During reading this book, I started to question my own beliefs. Not the core ones. The biblical More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

Julia rated it:

I understand this may be best listened to, as that was the medium these short essays were intended for, but I found I remembered many of the essayist’s credos from when they were on the radio.

“Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys” by Harold Taw, has Taw told by a blind Buddhist monk in his native Burma that he needs to feed a monkey on his birthday. “It’s rarely easy and, yet, somehow I’ve found a way to feed a monkey every year since I was born.” (240)

In the 1950’s Ro More...

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Jul 15, 2011

Gretchen rated it:

Listen to the recorded version rather than read the book, because the original pieces were written for radio and are read by the authors themselves. That was exciting--to hear the voices of Eleanor Roosevelt, Oscar Hammerstein, and even Helen Keller. I'm not surprised that the people on GoodReads who read the print version overall seem less impressed than those who listened.

One of the beauty of these pieces, it seems to me, is the instruction writers received to frame their pieces af More...

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Feb 10, 2011

Jeremy rated it:

A compilation of brief essays on the personal philosophies of people from different walks of life. I didn't think there was much to this book, although there were some engaging anecdotes. In a certain way, it's the most accurate book about philosophy ever written. Personal philosophies are most often not thoroughly processed, but rather represent a kind of reaction to life's events. I recognize the limitations of the form (people were told to write brief essays). I recognize any number of people More...

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Apr 03, 2011

Laura rated it:

I got this book from a buy-one get-one book sale at school. It was Christmas time and I wanted something uplifting to read over the two-week break. I ended up forgetting it at school so it was waiting for me in January. I began reading it but... well, I'm not sure what happened but I didn't enjoy it so I put it aside for a while.

It sat on my desk for months. Then one day, I picked it up and began to re-read. And it inspired me. I don't know what I was missing in my first attempt at rea More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2008

Mara rated it:

I really wish I had listened to this in smaller chunks. It's a lot to take in. Some of the essays were not exceptional, but others were absolutely wonderful. Topics ranged from the rule of law, love, and freedom to barbecue and jazz. And listening to this collection, rather than reading it, really does add a lot to the experience. Not to mention the opportunity to hear such voices as Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jackie Robinson.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2010

Joel rated it:

In the book, “This I Believe,” there are around 80 different authors with about 80 different beliefs. These authors were asked to, “Write a few hundred words expressing the core principles that guide your life—your personal credo.” (Page 1) Some of these authors had beliefs I completely disagreed with, while some of the other writers I absolutely agreed with. One of the authors, Penn Jillette...he left me aghast. His belief was, “There Is No God.” I just couldn’t imagine how some one belie More...

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Sep 15, 2011

Jessica S. rated it:

I think you have to be a certain type of person to enjoy this collection of essays—-an open-minded optimist maybe? I’ve always been a sucker for love/truth/hope conquering the cynicism of the world and would like to believe that the rich and powerful contributors that I always took to be a-holes are actually good people with good intentions.

Some of the essays are okay, some are better than okay, but most are extraordinarily beautiful. I'm always filled with envy and amazement at tho More...

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Aug 31, 2010

Heather rated it:

This book was good for me to read at this precise point in time because of the positive nature of it--I agreed with the editors that in these times, we have more in common with people in the original 1950's version of the book than it might at first seem.

However, I don't really like the limits placed on the writers--not to talk about what they don't believe, not to get too "dogmatic." While I enjoyed reading about people's honest beliefs sans dogma, I felt like they were a More...

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Jan 17, 2010

Nicole rated it:

How wondrous to listen to the thoughts on belief in their own voices - Albert Einstein, Leonard Bernstein, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, William F. Buckley, John McCain, in addition insightful people who are not famous, but just as lucid, just as clear. Oscar Hammerstein II talks about belief and in an accent nearly gone - the accent of New York City of 100 years ago. Helen Keller speaks! I was astonished! and had no idea there was a recording of her voice. Imagine someone who was pr More...

1 comment like

Jul 26, 2009

Judy rated it:

As part of a radio program in the 1950s, Edward R. Murrow hosted This I Believe in which prominent Americans explained their personal philosophies in 600 words or less. This I Believe was revived in 2005 as a weekly NPR segment and included essays from ordinary as well as well-known Americans. This volume collects some of the best essays from the original and revived programs. The result is an inspiring collection of philosophical statements from people ranging from Helen Keller, Albert Einst More...

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Mar 19, 2010

Christopher rated it:

This book will remain one of my favorite books for the rest of my life. It opened my mind to new ways of looking at our beautifully diverse and rich world and made me question my own personal beliefs. This book covers everything from Penn Jillette's hilarious-but-profound There Is No God to the eye-opening The Mysterious Connections That Link Us Together by Azar Nafisi to the fresh, sweet, and very real There Is More to Life Than My Life by Jamaica Ritcher. I recommend this book to anybody qu More...

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Oct 22, 2009

Tyler rated it:

Synopsis: This I Believe is a collection of essays by people from throughout the United States. Rich, poor, white, black, southerners, northerners, straight, gay, famous or not, female or male, essayists from all walks of life participated in describing their personal credos. This collection of essays were all read by the authors themselves (with the lone exception of Albert Einstein, who's audio has been lost). Mixed in with the present-day essays were essays by people from the early 1950's. Th More...

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Jul 10, 2009

Dan rated it:

I thoroughly enjoy essay collections, so I thought I would enjoy this collection of personal philosophies. I did enjoy them, but I found that a good portion of the essays resembled each other too much. In the end, though, there is enough variety in subject matter and viewpoint to merit three stars. It's probably more like 3.5.

I especially enjoyed the fact that they put modern essays alongside essays from people in the 1950's series done by Edward R. Murrow. Seeing Albert Einstein More...

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Apr 03, 2009

Adrienne rated it:

I can’t say how much I love this book. It is a collection of essays about individuals’ personal life philosophies, including essays by Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and even some of the regular humans. Some touch lightly on religion but the project was more about very individual beliefs—developed through personal life experiences—than about religious ones. I checked it out from the library but I am going to buy it so I can re-read it, one essay per day, for daily inspirati More...

1 comment like

May 10, 2009

Samilja rated it:

It's no easy task to write a personal belief statement in less than 500 words. The tendency is to get on your soapbox and preach away. It's typical to aim for lofty and idealistic and so slip away from the personal and intimate. But this collection of essays are not typical and many are not what you would expect.

The editors of this book culled from thousands upon thousands of archived essays, a part of the 'This I Believe Project', a selection of current essays and essays from the or More...

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Jul 07, 2010

Therese rated it:

I would rate this book with four stars (instead of three) if only each essay's expository style were distinctive. But because editors revised these statements for radio broadcast, most of the voices sound the same (with the notable exception of William F. Buckley, Jr.'s). Nevertheless, these 79 short and succinct pieces offer a wide variety of inspiring credos from both famous and ordinary laborers, artists, musicians, scientists, politicians, activists, and athletes. Believers, agnostics, and a More...

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Apr 06, 2009

Joy rated it:

This is a collection of short essays based on the NPR show of the same name. In the introduction, they explain that the show was started in the 1950's and some of the essays included are from that original broadcast. The essays basically complete the statement, "This I believe..." Some are religious, some are not. Some of the essays are the voice of famous people and some are not. At the end of the book there are directions for writing ones own essay. I am enjoying it very much. More...

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Aug 06, 2011

Amanda rated it:

totally corny but i really liked it. i've listened to the radio segments on npr on and off and always thought it's a cool idea - distilling your life philosophy into a poitive affirmation of less than 500 words. it's kind of funny but lots of times after i hear it the next few days when i'm frustrated about school or used to get really pissed about teach for america i would think "i believe that i will never see a day when all children have an excellent education - play on tfa's mission s More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Lisa rated it:

Each year the high school at which I teach selects one book for all students and faculty to read. This is the book that was chosen for summer 2010. It consists of 75 personal essays, each no more than 500 words long. Some of the contributors are famous and some are 'average' citizens. Some are young (a 14 year old boy) and some are old (Studs Turkel was in his 90s when he wrote his essay). Each tells about a core belief and how/why the individual came to have that belief. Some stories are he More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Caroline rated it:

My dad gave me a copy of this collection of essays for Father's Day. He said he wanted to start a new tradition of giving gifts to his kids for Father's Day, and he was really excited about this book. He's been a fan of the radio segments on NPR for awhile and is using the book in the classes he teaches this fall.

While all of the essays didn't have an equal impact on me, I truly enjoyed the collection as a whole. The combination of essays from the original Edward R. Murrow-hosted se More...

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Apr 20, 2009

Rachel rated it:

From Being Cool to the Pizza Delivery Man to discovering one’s belief in God, This I Believe gives the listener/reader insights into the beliefs and lives of approximately 80 individuals. A compilation of audio files from the 1950s radio show and NPR’s recent resurrection of the segment, including both the famous and the everyday man. While I found the segments read by individuals I have only read about (among them Helen Keller and Albert Einstein), to be amazing in terms of their historic value More...

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Jan 01, 2009

dirt rated it:

This book is miraculous in two ways. First, to share your beliefs with the world takes courage and is a difficult exercise in self introspection. The other miracle is that the majority of these essays are well written, insightful, and thought provoking.

I especially enjoyed the pair of essays by Elizabeth Deustch (Earle), one from the 1950s series and one from today. Other personal favorites were The Joy and Enthusiasm of Reading by Rick Moody, Free Minds and Hearts at Work by Ja More...

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