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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reaffirms the power of the story, the spoken word...what's not to love?, October 21, 2008
This review is from: This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Hardcover)
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Once in a while an idea comes along that's so simple, so pure, as to demand: why hasn't anyone done this before?
Accomplished freelance producer Jay Allison, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, struck upon reviving an mouldy-but-goldy: assemble articulate people to speak plainly, from the heart, about their deepest convictions.
This is no mean feat speaking from an age of irony, where the best are cowed into silence by the masses of twitch-and-click "comments" that infect our public airwaves and media. To stand before the public in open and naked invocation of the tenets and values nearest and dearest to our hearts is to invite the slings and arrows of a public reared on blithe and thoughtless commentary.
These speakers--celebrities and no-bodies, the ordinary and the extraordinary--toss caution to the wind and speak plainly, clearly. You won't find yourself in agreement with every speaker's values, but you will admire their candor and their willingness to stand in the harsh light. Who's here? The list goes on: Alice of Alice's Restaurant on the value of making it up as you go along; Frank Miller on the value of patriotism; Yasir Billoo on being raised an American; Sgt. Ernesto Haibi on belief in one another and mankind. These voices bear witness to the best we can be. The back of the CD slipcase says this collection belongs to the "Inspiration" section. This is the first time I've ever been un-apologetic about owning such an earnest, inspirational collection in my library.
If you are a fan of the Story Corps project, you'll find a spiritual consonance here. Both projects seek to recover the art of the story and the spoken word.
Would you like to believe? These are the voices of your family. These are the voices of your neighbors. It doesn't get much better than this. I recommend this highly.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Positive Uplift, October 22, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Well, anything with NPR on it is usually good as far as I'm concerned, but this is just an amazing collection. I remember a few months back listening to some of these on the radio and being so impressed. I heard mostly the pieces that had been written by noted individuals, but I was impressed with NPR for opening the doors to the average person to share. I think this kind of nationa/world wide group involvement in co-creating something is a product of our current technological age - such as the My Space and You Tube sort of things.
But this collection of CDs is just so impressive. I was astounded to see that there are 5 CDs in the set, and there are many "just average folks" on here. I especially like the first piece on CD #3 about a young woman who is a waitress in a Texas diner. She selflessly helps out a customer and is later rewarded with the knowledge that her simple act may have radically changed someone's life. Her main idea is that you can create peace through one simple act of kindness.
I am on the road almost every weekend, so these have become a staple part of my listening while driving, and when my spouse or friends come along, these CD play an important part of our conversation. I have also started playing one selection a day for my students to discuss in class, and I love the fact that the pieces are short and lend themselves to great conversation. Many, if not all, of the items have topics simple enough to even upper elementary children to listen to and understand, so these could be great family conversation starters.
I just can't say enough good things about this positive and remarkable product, and I look forward to the next set.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection of essays, November 5, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is a terrific collection (5 CD's worth!) of short essays previously played on the NPR series, This I Believe is based on a series that was originally on Edward R. Murrow's radio program. It let individuals explain some of their personal beliefs and philosophies.
It's a diverse collection of 75 essays from people you might know, students, workers, CEO's and waitresses to others who are famous, Robert Fulghum, Tony Hawk and Craig, who started Craig's list!
Most of them are read by the author, which really helps to personalize each essay. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but they will all give you something to think about. Wonderful and highly recommended!
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