All God's Children Are Lost but Only a Few Can Play the Piano

by Sheldon B. Kopp

s/t: Finding a Life That is Truly Your Own
How to find personal identity in life, from the bestselling author of If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! In a libertating, empowering book, Sheldon Kopp uses myth, legends, and personal experience--including his own life-changing confrontation with death--to tackle some of life's most perplexing philosophical questions: Who are we and what is life's purpose?

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Spirituality

130 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Sheldon Bernard Kopp (29 March 1929 – 29 March 1999) was a psychotherapist and author, based in Washington, D.C. He was born in New York City, and received his PhD from the New School for Social Research. In addition to his private practice, he served as a Psychotherapy Supervisor for the Pastoral Counselling and Consultation Centres in Washington. He died of cardiac arrhythmia and pneumonia. He is also popular for his quotes. One of them is, "All of the significant battles are waged within the self."

Reviews

[Gabriel-paul Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. The importance of Kopp's book has been paramount to me in the past month. I think that the means of owning your own uniqueness and knowing that God has created people as they are is important for anyone. The prompt to find a life unique unto oneself is important to continue on in hope and love for the person searching for fulfillment. Fulfillment is different than searching for God; however, finding that God is fulfilling the uniqueness in each person is comforting and empowering. The stories that Kopp uses provided me with further understanding of the importance of uniqueness. Often uniqueness causes a person to thrive in incredibly positive ways. Onlookers at a person reveling in his/her own uniqueness is seen as foolish. I've had to remember at some points that we are all fools for Christ.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5

I liked this book a little less than If You Meet The Buddha…. It was a little less impactful, but still good to think about. Kopp’s ideas and beliefs resonate with what I have discovered in my own live in the last 5 or so years. It is good to read to focus back on in on what is important.

My favorite statement of his in this book was on relationships, and how we need to find ones that work for us, regardless if they fit within the accepted view of “normal.” Relationships don’t need to make sense or fit the neat categories society dictates. What matters most is to follow your heart in a way that is emotionally meaningful in the current period of your life. This has been true in my own life, and I plan to continue to have relationships that are meaningful to me, even if others do not always understand them.

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some nice moments in this book, but in the end, I didn't find it all that helpful. He's got a great message - be the unique human you are and keep transforming - but his stories are meandering and confusing and I really don't like the section where he basically breaks down famous peoples' lives and deemed them either "brilliant" or "failures," depending on how their lives turned out (spoiler alert: the "failures" usually kill themselves). And this is coming from someone who is asking us not to judge ourselves too critically!

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. That sums up the 117 pages of the book. I rather liked it, and maybe there are words of wisdom for those who are still bound up in other people's opinions. It felt like a money machine for a successful author who has run out of things to say. It was very thin.

[Jake Jeffries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read. It is about half of the size of most of the other Sheldon Kopp books. Don't let the size fool you, it is still packed cover to cover with great advice and knowledge. The epilogue of the book was clever in that it was basically a summarized list of most of the main points throughout the book. I plan on developing it into some sort of poster.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good perspective on the homeless children. Sometimes hard to read.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

warm, funny, revolutionary, life changing

[Susie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book long ago and now I’m reading another book that just prompted me to try to find the name of this book and I’m so glad I found it

It taught me at the time that when I was working in the counselling business it was absolutely OK to share my own experiences. It made me a better counselor, a better person.

I’m reading a book now by a psychiatrist I know personally who had the same experience I need to tell her about this book

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Epilogue is 2 pages approx. and worth a skim read even if some of the points are a little trite.
The notes at the end will point you to some excellent reading material.
That's about all I have to say..