Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories [Paperback]

Jack Canfield (Author), Mark Victor Hansen (Author), Heather McNamara (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are joined by Heather McNamara, senior editor of the series, in this unforgettable collection of inspiring and uplifting stories. Sure to become a favorite of readers who love Chicken Soup for its stories of overcoming life's obstacles, challenges, heartbreaks and pain, this book emphasizes triumph in the face of overwhelming odds. A timeless testament to the indomitable human spirit, this collection is sure to encourage, support, comfort and, most of all, inspire all readers for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JACK CANFIELD and MARK VICTOR HANSEN, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling coauthors, are professional speakers who have dedicated their lives to enhancing the personal and professional development of others. Canfield and Hansen are based out of Santa Barbara, California and Newport Beach, California, respectively

HEATHER MCNAMARA is the senior editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, based out of Santa Barbara, California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sharing Beauty

Circumstances are like a mattress: When we
are on top, we rest in comfort; when we are
underneath, we are smothered.

Anonymous

I think it was 1982. I know it was October. A friend had business dealings in the city of Reno, Nevada, and I was asked to accompany her on an overnight trip. While she conducted her business, I was aimlessly wandering down Virginia Street, headed into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but I couldn't make eye contact with anyone. It seemed everyone was shuffling along looking at their feet.

I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet and said, ôWellàö

I said, "It will only take a moment." Seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.

When she got outside I said to her, just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone."

For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.

I forgot about the episode.

Four years later my situation had altered considerably. I had come to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life and in drastically reduced circumstances. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the communal laundry room.

One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a Unity Magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: cosmetic sales in a department store. We had a lot in common. She was as bummed out as I was.

Then something happened to her that changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world," and she had realized the truth in that statement and that she simply had not been seeing it. From that moment on, she turned her life around.

—Sherry Maddox

[EDITORS' NOTE: Sherry returned to the laundry room but the magazine was gone. She wrote Unity Magazine, but they were moving when they received her letter and couldn't help. She wants the woman in Reno to know that she has done the same thing for her. The gift has come full circle.]

(c)1999 Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Heather McNamara. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

Product Details

• Paperback: 371 pages
• Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558746986
• ISBN-13: 978-1558746985
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 1 x 5.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chicken Soup for the Prisoners Soul?, December 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories (Paperback)

I bought this book for my son Ted who is in jail. I was looking for a book that would inspire him and tell him stories of other people who have overcome great hardships in life. My son said the book moved him deeply and brought tears to his eyes several times.

Ted is a drug addict, suffers from serious depression and broke several laws. He was eventually jailed for his crimes. I believe that he has much potential but he made many unwise decisions and jail is the appropriate place for him to take his punishment.When he leaves jail he will then go to in-patient treatment for his drug problem. He will need all the strength and courage he can find. I want Ted to understand that he has the opportunity to change his life, that other people have overcome greater problems than he faces and I hoped this book would help. I think it did just that.

If you know someone who is not making wise decisions, who feels life is unfair and needs the courage to take control of the their life--then this is the book for them. Buy it and give it to them. Who know, maybe you will help someone change their life.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching, motivating, inspiring stories., October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories (Paperback)

I have just finished reading it, my first Chicken Soup book too, and enjoyed most of the stories. One of the stories stood out. It was about a young girl, Arlyn, titled Wind Beneath My Wings, written by her mother after her Arlyn's death. In this busy, hectic world, we get so busy, it was a good reminder for me to listen more carefully to my own daughter. At the end of the book the author's mailing and email addresses were listed - I think that is an extra bonus! I would recommend the book, and this story, for anyone who has a child.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick it up read a story-feel inspired!, August 6, 2000

By 

Bernadette A. Moyer (Lutherville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories (Paperback)

A wonderful collection of insightful and inspiring short stories from a variety of authors. Each and every story is filled with thoughtful inspiration and sharing.

Sometimes I just have a few minutes to read a quick story and this is a great title to do that with. The stories are varied but the common theme is the strength of the human spirit.

I also fully enjoyed the unique bio pages on all the contributors. Well done and easy to read!