Handbook for the Heart: Original Writings on Love (Paperback)

~ Richard Carlson (Author), Benjamin Shield (Author), John Gray (Author) "THE POWER OF love or loving-kindness has been denigrated in our culture..." (more)
Key Phrases: American Psychological Association, Mother Teresa

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Love has become the Holy Grail of our time," writes John Gray in the foreword to this anthology of original essays about love. Collected by therapists Carlson and Shield (collaborators on Handbook for the Soul), the various jottings come from 31 contributors?including Deepak Chopra, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Betty Eadie, James Redfield and Andrew Weil?who together comprise a who's who of popular contemporary figures in spirituality and healing. The editors divide the pieces into six groups: "The Power of the Heart"; "Heart and Soul"; "Giving and Receiving"; and so on. There are contradictions in approach ("The happiest people I know are people who don't even think about being happy," writes Kushner, while others boldly advise us to make self-love and happiness a conscious starting point), but each offering agrees on the paradoxical need for self-love as a prerequisite to loving others. Only then, the authors concur, can we become capable of forgetting ourselves and opening up to the world outside. Intended to be practical, and based on everyday life, this flip-through guide to a profound subject is repetitive and too simple at times, but it definitely has its heart in the right place.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this companion to their Handbook for the Soul (LJ 10/1/95), Carlson and Shield offer 31 brief essays written by celebrated contemporary authors who have contributed to the field of personal development and spiritual growth. The central theme is the myriad ways that love is manifested in human relationships as a profound force for change in our world. Although the mass appeal of this theme lends itself to the platitudes of the self-help industry, this is a source of fresh inspiration grounded in the personal observations of such writers as Deepak Chopra, Betty Eadie, Leo Buscaglia, Louise Hay, Harville Hendrix, and John Robbins. For most public libraries.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (February 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316120049
• ISBN-13: 978-0316120043
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,712 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring essays on the most important thing in life., December 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Handbook for the Heart: Original Writings on Love (Hardcover)

To receive more love in your life, you must give more love: This book opens you to the possibilities. There are so many pearls in this collection of essays, and each and every chapter gives one much to ruminate about. I rate it a "10" because the messages are both timeless and crucial to finding happiness. It's a wonderful book to give as a gift, but first and foremost, as a gift to yourself.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trying to Define Love, December 1, 2002

By	"realwu84" (KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handbook for the Heart: Original Writings on Love (Hardcover)

The struggle to find to find true love in the present world is not an easy task. In this world where the once sacred institution of marriage is now no more likely to last than flipping heads on a coin, those who truly know what love is are scarce. Everyone claims to know what this thing called love is, but few truly understand the essence of everything the word love stands for. In this book, the writings of several self-proclaimed love experts, professors from various colleges, have been compiled together in an attempt to help others find out what love is and how to make it a part of their lives. The basic beliefs range from Buddhism to Christianity, but all of the authors agree that we all need love. This in itself is a valid argument because of the basic human need to feel accepted and appreciated.
Some of the claims made about love in this book are:

1. Give love to get love
2. Love is a choice
3. Love is wanting the best for another person
4. Love yourself in order to love others

There are various other insights on love in this book; buy it and find out what they are.
The basic argument from these claims filters into the overall argument of love stems from the individual. Love cannot exist if an individual doesn't want it to exist. Restating the claims, an individual must give love to get it in return, choose to love, desire the best others, and show love for the self in order to show love to others.
This argument is quite valid because love is not some sort of pit which people can helplessly fall into. Love is not lust and love does not envy. All of the claims presented elaborate on the essence of what love is and reasonably arrive at the conclusion that love stems from the individual. All of the points are clearly and precisely elaborated on in the book, and the reader comes away from the book with a newfound sense of mental completeness. This completeness comes from better understanding what true love is. There would be no way to account for the multitudes of occasions in which individuals have professed to "knowing" what love is, but enough sufficient evidence is presented in the book to allow the argument to be complete.
It's intriguing to find that many proverbs have stemmed from the forethought that love stems from the individual. The Golden Rule is the prime example of this. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The "doing" part is from the individual, one must do unto others first in order for others to do the same unto them. "You reap what you sow." Again, it is seen that the individual must first sow in order to reap. For what is there to reap if nothing has been sown? So this is what you must do, go out and express your appreciation for someone. Love first in order to love last.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, July 7, 2000

By	Dawn (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handbook for the Heart: Original Writings on Love (Hardcover)

Everyone in the world needs to read this book, I guarantee it would change many lives. It opens your mind to think deeply of what some fears the most, love. It truly answers so many questions in regards to love and life. Everyone that has picked my book up, cannot put it down. Now that's a winner!