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The Book of Qualities
From Beauty to Compassion, from Pleasure to Terror, from Resignation to Joy -- here is an insightful exploration of the rich diversity of human qualities. J. Ruth Gendler's evocative book has as its cast of familiar characters our own emotions, brought to life with a poet's wisdom and an artist's perceptive eye. In The Book of Qualities' magical community, Excitement wears...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
January 27th 1988
by William Morrow Paperbacks
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I wish I had written this intuitive little book. Whenever it bordered on too personal or too whimsical I was secretly pleased, because I would have written it differently. I thought of myself as Whimsy, which is fitting because the note in the front to whomever owned this book before me says: Dear Alston, You are Whimsy- please never, ever change. Remember me when you read this little book. God bless, Me. July 25, 2000. (Which is the day after my birthday!)
The page for Whimsy says: Whimsy is not...more
The page for Whimsy says: Whimsy is not...more
My life coach recommended this book. It's very sweet, and short! Each quality is described as if it were a person, one per page. For a busy, working, single mom like myself, it was perfect. I kept it in my nightstand and read a few pages at bedtime when I had time. I still keep it there and re-read pages from it occasionally. I also use it as a coaster. ;-)
I read this book 20 years ago, and its prose found its way into my daily narrative. I find myself thinking of specific passages often. I finally found this book again (I had a terrible time remembering the title) after being without it for so many years. The art is evocative and wonderful in its simplicity. The prose is insightful, poetic, and as I mentioned--will stay with you.
This is a truly wonderful book that you can read in an afternoon. Once you do, you'll want to read and reread it, medit...more
This is a truly wonderful book that you can read in an afternoon. Once you do, you'll want to read and reread it, medit...more
I read this at the beach today, a series of abstract nouns or qualities personified. Here's the one: Patience wears my grandmother's filigree earrings. She bakes marvelous dark bread. She has beautiful hands. She carries great sacks of peace and purses filled with small treasures. You don’t notice patience right away in a crowd, but suddenly you see her all at once, and then she is so beautiful you wonder why you never saw her before. --Others include pleasure, worry, fear, patience, confusion,...more
My children grew up with alphabet books and counting books and color books and animal books. But how do children learn Pleasure, Patience, Clarity, Wisdom, Compassion, Honesty, Joy and all the other positive qualities? How do children learn Worry, Despair, Doubt, Defeat, Anger, Panic, Suffering and all the other negative qualities? Is it possible that I and the world taught them all of those and more?
Author Gendler gives us some words in The Book of Qualities to put a human face on many of the e...more
Author Gendler gives us some words in The Book of Qualities to put a human face on many of the e...more
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What a great book! Unlike anything I've ever read. The author has created personifications of some seventy qualities (pleasure, worry, beauty, jealousy, terror, honor, joy, to name a few)and has written 'character' descriptions as if they were a friend or a neighbor. Ranging from a paragraph to a page in length, the profiles are both amusing and thought-provoking. Some of the passages help to illuminate our own thinking when we spend time with a particular quality: "Criticism was always the shor...more
This book was very interesting. Some qualities in the book I enjoyed and appreciated more than others. Ambivalence was my favorite. The qualities are people and when she writes about what they do and don't do it helps you see and understand the quality better. This book is very different from what you'd think by the title. Here's a short quality description for an example - "Inspiration - Inspiration is disturbing. She does not believe in guarantees or insurance or strict schedules. She is not i...more
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My favourite aunt gave me this book about 30 years ago and I've finally finished it. It contains short pieces on 100 "qualities" such as Happiness, Anger, Jealousy, etc., accompanied by lovely whimsical drawings. It's somewhat engaging, but very 70s/80s Berkeley weaving/potting/Birkenstocks/wholegrain bread.
Very fast reading, a wonderful book that exemplifies what a metaphor is; the many ways one might use a metaphor, take it out to dinner, take it for a walk, feed it; or, tease, cajole, dance, sing to a metaphor, but maintain its freedom to express itself in the most original ways.
We had to read this for a theatre class in college and then preform 'monologues' choosing two qualities. I think it is one of the most beautiful books. I give it as a gift to almost everyone i know and had a a very good friend of mine read a passage out if it at our wedding.
May 19, 2008
Carla
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all my dear friends
Recommended to Carla by:
my mom, Betty
This has always been my favorite "gift" book to give. The author could not find a publisher willing to print it, so she started Turquoise Mountain Press and published it herself. TMP is no longer in existence and the book was eventually picked up by a large publishing house. Each quality is depicted as an individual and they are related to one another as are families and friends. I read one of the qualities in my son's dedication when he was 6 month's old, but I'd have to search back for that pr...more
In my top 5 all-time favorite books. I found it in a thrift shop years ago and bought it on a whim. It's a simple, lovely book that describes characteristics like Beauty and Anger as if they were people. The poetry of the anthropomorphized qualities is amazing.
I loved this book. Very short and a simple concept: what if people's qualities were people themselves? How would they act? What would they like to do? It is more poetry to me than anything else--and I thoroughly enjoyed it. One to come back to over and over.
I love The Book of Qualities. This is not a "read it through" book. I found that a good approach was to pick it up and open it at random each day and read one or two of the single page vignettes of the qualities. Many of them are deeply moving.
It's a book of qualities: intuition, power, joy, depression.... Sweet and sort of enchanting, and while it's not something you'd read straight through, it's worth having to flip through whenever you have just a moment or two to spare.
This book is great for use in the classroom. I have taught some very fun drama lessons using this book. Students love it, even if it is confusing at first. I highly recommend this to teachers of older children.
Sep 14, 2009
Relyn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who loved the J. Peterman catalog
Recommended to Relyn by:
a random blog I passed
I had to do an interlibrary loan on this book to get my hands on it without buying it. I do love our library system, don't you? Anyway. I am glad I read it. It was interesting. Telling. In some ways it reminded me of a J. Peterman catalog, which was always a fun read. I think it was intended to be more profound than it actually is. Still. I'm not sorry I read it.
One of the best books I have read in a LONG time and the teaching uses are ENDLESS!!! I have already written "my" submission to the book: PASSION. Teachers --- MUST READ! AN excellent tool resource for read-alouds, teaching point of view and perspective, and a great model for writing!
Pop psychology? Meditation manual? Artist's sketchbook? Creative Writer's inspiration book? I don't know what it is. I read it. It's interesting, well written, but forgettable.
This is one of my favorite poetic essay books. The thoughts are concept is clever putting personalities to qualities. I go back to this one from time to time
This book mattered to me a great deal when I was a junior in high school. I dip into it now and again, recognizing myself and those I love in different ways over time.
Gendler took abstract ideas like happiness, joy, faith, fear, despair, etc. and gave them personalities and alliances. This is a wonderful, insightful little book.
This book helped me get through, recognize and name a lot of feelings as it personifies each feeling in a short poem. I've given at least 7 copies as gifts.
One of the most unique books I've ever read - published in 1984. Pick a subject and read a short blurb of thoughts about it. Food for thought.....
I've enjoyed this book, a tip from Kerri, and have given it away to Ella, Sally and Sheva Lipsker - I like it so much!
The most exquisite and beautiful writing about qualities like compassion, joy, doubt etc. wonderful.
somewhat interesting, I liked the illustrations, it just felt a little too predictable and not my style
Such a sweet, thoughtful book. I envision myself returning to it time and time again.
A small, wonderfully whimsical book that you will want to read
over and over.
over and over.
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“Sensuality does not wear a watch but she always gets to the essential places on time. She is adventurous and not particularly quiet. She was reprimanded in grade school because she couldn’t sit still all day long. She needs to move. She thinks with her body. Even when she goes to the library to read Emily Dickinson or Emily Bronte, she starts reading out loud and swaying with the words, and before she can figure out what is happening, she is asked to leave. As you might expect, she is a disaster at office jobs.
Sensuality has exquisite skin and she appreciates it in others as well. There are other people whose skin is soft and clear and healthy but something about Sensuality’s skin announces that she is alive. When the sun bursts forth in May, Sensuality likes to take off her shirt and feel the sweet warmth of the sun’s rays brush across her shoulder. This is not intended as a provocative gesture but other people are, as usual, upset. Sensuality does not understand why everyone else is so disturbed by her. As a young girl, she was often scolded for going barefoot.
Sensuality likes to make love at the border where time and space change places. When she is considering a potential lover, she takes him to the ocean and watches. Does he dance with the waves? Does he tell her about the time he slept on the beach when he was seventeen and woke up in the middle of the night to look at the moon? Does he laugh and cry and notice how big the sky is?
It is spring now, and Sensuality is very much in love these days. Her new friend is very sweet. Climbing into bed the first time, he confessed he was a little intimidated about making love with her. Sensuality just laughed and said, ‘But we’ve been making love for days.”
—
53 people liked it
Sensuality has exquisite skin and she appreciates it in others as well. There are other people whose skin is soft and clear and healthy but something about Sensuality’s skin announces that she is alive. When the sun bursts forth in May, Sensuality likes to take off her shirt and feel the sweet warmth of the sun’s rays brush across her shoulder. This is not intended as a provocative gesture but other people are, as usual, upset. Sensuality does not understand why everyone else is so disturbed by her. As a young girl, she was often scolded for going barefoot.
Sensuality likes to make love at the border where time and space change places. When she is considering a potential lover, she takes him to the ocean and watches. Does he dance with the waves? Does he tell her about the time he slept on the beach when he was seventeen and woke up in the middle of the night to look at the moon? Does he laugh and cry and notice how big the sky is?
It is spring now, and Sensuality is very much in love these days. Her new friend is very sweet. Climbing into bed the first time, he confessed he was a little intimidated about making love with her. Sensuality just laughed and said, ‘But we’ve been making love for days.”
“Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky. She carries a silver bowl full of liquid moonlight. She has a cat named Midnight with stars on his paws. Many people mistrust Pleasure, and even more misunderstand her. For a long time I could barely stand to be in ...the same room with her...”
—
23 people liked it
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