Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference [Hardcover]

Desmond Tutu (Author), Mpho Tutu (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 9, 2010

In Made for Goodness, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner and international icon of peace and reconciliation, shares his vision on why we can find hope and joy in the world’s darkest moments by realizing that we were made for goodness, that we are wired so that goodness will win in the end. Archbishop Tutu is a spiritual leader and symbol of love and forgiveness on the level of Gandi, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, and Made for Goodness, written with his daughter Mpho, is one of the most personal and inspirational books he's ever written.

Coming Soon: Archbishop Desmond Tutu's The Children of God Storybook Bible, a daily devotional and heirloom-quality keepsake. This beautiful gift Bible will resonate with parents, grandparents, and educators eager to present the message of God’s love, forgiveness, and reconciliation to young children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nobel Peace Prize–winner Desmond Tutu, who lived through South African apartheid and helped to clean up its criminal consequences by chairing the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, could write a grocery list and people would get something out of it. With his daughter Mpho, an Episcopal priest in Washington, D.C., the retired Anglican archbishop writes a relatively personal book about his fundamental, faith-based beliefs about human nature: people are basically good because they are made in God's image. He maintains this in the face of the horrific events he has witnessed in his country and elsewhere, and he bases his belief in part on simple experiences throughout his life that have involved family and, significantly, his failures. Tutu's humility is striking; he is comfortable in his own skin despite being raised in a culture that officially deemed his skin color second-class. This book is not nearly as dramatic or compelling as No Future Without Forgiveness, based on his work with the Reconciliation Commission; on the other hand, it is heartening to know, or remember, that faith can be learned, reinforced, and expressed as much around the dinner table as in the public square.
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From Booklist

As head of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Tutu reached a world audience in his call for forgiveness for apartheid perpetrators who confessed to horrific evil and said they were sorry. Writing here with his daughter, also a minister, he insists that, with all the horror he has heard about and witnessed, We are fundamentally good. Racism has to be learned. It is not an instinct. Sin is real. But goodness is normative. Even readers not focused on the religious debate will be drawn to this account for the insider’s view of the history and the personal struggle with forgiveness. Inspired by heroes of many faiths, including Father Trevor Huddleston; Afrikaaans cleric Beyers Naude; the kids in the 1976 Soweto riots; the parents of murdered Amy Biehl; and, of course, by Mandela, Gandhi, King, and Mother Teresa, Tutu is also haunted by his own failure to forgive his father before he died. The personal perspective will spark discussion about the bigger issues of morality, politics, and religion. If God is all-powerful, why do we suffer? --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061706590
• ISBN-13: 978-0061706592
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Protestantism > Anglican

More About the Author

Desmond Mpilo Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and was only the second black person ever to receive it. In 1986 he was elected archbishop of Cape Town, the highest position in the Anglican Church in South Africa. In 1994, after the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela, Tutu was appointed as chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate apartheid-era crimes. His policy of forgiveness and reconciliation has become an international example of conflict resolution, and a trusted method of postconflict reconstruction. He is currently the chair of The Elders, where he gives vocal defense of human rights and campaigns for the oppressed.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Becoming Fully Alive! March 16, 2010

By Robert V. Taylor

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Reading this inspiring book is like seeing a sunrise for the first time! Desmond Tutu, joined by his daughter Mpho, invite us to imagine a way of living that brings us fully alive; a way of being that says, "You matter" because your are loved by the Holy One for your existence. They invite us beyond the smallness of divisions and suspicion into the gladness of everyday life. Our own goodness has an impact way beyond anything we might imagine! Through it we remember that "I am because we are" - we are part of the oneness of the human family and Creation. No matter your religion or spirituality, this book invites a life of gladness in which love and compassion are not merely concepts, but part of our daily living. No wonder Tutu is the iconic spiritual voice of hope! The book is a keeper! This is spritual wisdom for being fully alive and engaged. Robert V. Taylor [...]

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom from a Man Who Has Lived It March 15, 2010

By Big D VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Want to know the meaning of life? Read this book.

Is mankind inherently good? Inherently bad? Read this book.

Inherently selfish or inherently good? Read this book.

Ever think about the inter-connectedness of all people? Read this book.

More than an inspirational classic, this is a wisdom classic from one, make that two, who have lived it.

This book is more than words. It is the story of a life well lived and what we can learn from that life.

It is a story of forgivenss, reconciliation and hope for people of all faiths, nationalities and thought.

It is a good book, a very good book. A book that gives hope and promise to all.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Midwife to meaning June 1, 2010

By Harold B. Confer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

For people unfamiliar with the struggle for liberation in South Africa this is a must read. Because some of the chapters contain sermon material of Desmond Tutu there tends to be some repetition of themes. The best part of every chapter is the concluding poem. These may well be Mpo's contributions as the rest seems to be written in his voice. It is a delightful book by one of the most important leaders of non-violent liberation, peace and reconciliation in the world.