This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Paperback)

by Jay Allison (Editor), Dan Gediman (Editor)
Key Phrases: pizza delivery dude, United States, World War, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In the 1950s, the Edward R. Murrow–hosted radio program This I Believe prompted Americans to briefly explain their most cherished beliefs, be they religious or purely pragmatic. Since the program's 2005 renaissance as a weekly NPR segment, Allison (the host) and Gediman (the executive producer) have collected some of the best essays from This I Believe then and now. "Your personal credo" is what Allison calls it in the book's introduction, noting that today's program is distinguished from the 1950s version in soliciting submissions from ordinary Americans from all walks of life. These make up some of the book's most powerful and memorable moments, from the surgeon whose illiterate mother changed his early life with faith and a library card to the English professor whose poetry helped him process a traumatic childhood event. And in one of the book's most unusual essays, a Burmese immigrant confides that he believes in feeding monkeys on his birthday because a Buddhist monk once prophesied that if he followed this ritual, his family would prosper. There are luminaries here, too, including Gloria Steinem, Warren Christopher, Helen Keller, Isabel Allende, Eleanor Roosevelt, John Updike and (most surprisingly, considering the book's more liberal bent) Newt Gingrich. This feast of ruminations is a treat for any reader. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
National Public Radio listeners have been moved to tears by the personal essays that constitute the series This I Believe. Created in 1951 with Edward Murrow as host, the sometimes funny, often profound, and always compelling series has been revived, according to host Jay Allison, because, once again, "matters of belief divide our country and the world." Oral historian Studs Terkel kicks things off, and 80 personal credos follow. Essays from the original series are interleaved with contemporary essays (selected from more than 11,000 submissions) to create a resounding chorus. English professor Sara Adams avers that one should "be cool to the pizza delivery dude." John McCain states, "I believe in honor, faith, and service." Iranian-born writer Azar Nafisi writes, "I believe in empathy." Jackie Robinson said, "I believe in the goodness of a free society." Rick Moody believes in "the absolute and unlimited liberty of reading." Appendixes offer guidelines and resources because the urge to write such declarations is contagious, and schools and libraries have been coordinating This I Believe programs, which we believe is a righteous endeavor. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1st edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805086587
• ISBN-13: 978-0805086584
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,388 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars maybe exactly what you need right now, October 17, 2006

By	Victoria A. Griffith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Audio CD)

I've been working too much lately, getting into my car at night with my head still swimming about all the things that are going on at the office. I try not to get like this, but sometimes, especially at this time of year, it's hard not to. Someone sent me a copy of an interesting audiobook though and I wanted to share a bit about it with you. Listening to it in 15 minute snippets on the way to and from work these past few weeks has turned me around.

If you're a public radio junkie, the series it's based on is probably old news to you. It's called "This I Believe" and it's a compilation of essays from individuals writing about what they believe in. Very simple concept. The people who have written essays are young and old, famous and not, successful and not, religious and not. There are some from the 1950s, some from 2006. I'm finding that spending a few minutes on my drive to and from work every day where I stop thinking about what happened today or what needs to happen tomorrow does me good as a person. Some of them made me cry (probably more than I should admit) and some made me laugh. Some I fast-forward through b/c I've no interest in the topic - but with 80 distinct essays to listen to, you can fwd through quite a few and still have lots to listen to.

You might be one of those people who is going to think this is smarmy, a little too saccharin or otherwise not as clever as you'd like -- but you should at least listen to a couple of excerpts. You may be surprised by the range of this collection - there are essays on the belief in science and math and the written word; others about kindness and hope and family; some on pizza delivery drivers and good barbecue and feeding monkeys on your birthday. I'm tempted to point out a couple of my favorites but I won't - because I'm pretty sure the excerpts that speak most vividly to me will be different than the ones that touch you. You should give yourself a few minutes right now to sample one or two from the npr website. And then you should buy the audio or the print book. It's maybe exactly what you need right now.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration to examine your own belief system, October 20, 2006

By	Deanna Joseph "www.deannasrealm.com" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Hardcover)

When I first received my copy of "This I Believe," I had no idea that it was actually from a popular 1950s radio show of the same name. Originally, "This I Believe" was hosted by Edward R. Murrow. It was aired throughout the United States and became so popular that two volumes of the essays were published and hit the Top-10 Bestseller's list for three years.

It was easy to become hooked as I read the first essay, and though some of the essays are 50 years old, they are still very relevent to what we are going through now as individuals and as a society.

The essays (of which there are 79) are 3-4 pages each and are essentially a brief outline of why the writer has a particular belief. The essays are personal stories which are written in a positive manner without being judgmental, preachy or obnoxious.

Some of the more well known writers include: William F. Buckley, Jr., Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Bill Gates and Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame).

In the "Afterward" written by Dan Gediman, he explains the history of the famous radio show and how he was inspired to put together a book of some of the more famous essays from the show, while including some new essays from both famous and unknown writers of our day.

The appendix includes the original introduction of the radio show "This I Believe" by Edward R. Murrow, how to write your own "This I Believe" essay, and suggestions on how to use "This I Believe" in your own community. They also challenge you to write your own "This I Believe" essay and send it in to their website www.thisibelieve.org.

"This I Believe" is thoughtful, inspiring and thought provoking. It would provide invaluable insights and topics for those interested in public speaking or blogging. For teachers it can provide inspiration to help students find out their own belief systems.

Really an essay of the human heart, "This I Believe" challenges you to discover what your own belief system is. Do you know what you believe?

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good gift for contemplative people, better on radio, December 22, 2006

By	T. Burket "tburket" (Potomac, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Hardcover)

"This I Believe" can be approached as a quick read of a couple hours or a casual read with occasional stops to contemplate the latest essay. Even though the collection is an extract from a large number of contributions, there will be some you can skim right through, thinking, "yeah, whatever" or that it wasn't that interesting a thought. I admit I felt almost guilty for not giving some of the authors more than a moment's notice, considering the person was talking about a core belief with passion. My guess is that a typical reader will feel the same, only for a different group within the diverse set.

However, there are others that should prompt more serious thought. After all, the purpose of the essays is two-fold: give a window into what other people hold true, and also promote thinking about one's own values and beliefs. To me, it's less important to try to write my own essay than to ponder whether I agree with the author's belief, or how it might apply to me, or whether I recall family members or others with similar beliefs.

Even so, these are not long, deep essays, given the limit of a couple of minutes when spoken. The ones focused on religion, for example, are only a key thought or two, usually with a relevant example of their application or their origin. Others recall an important moment or two in one's life, perhaps where somebody else made a difference in the author's future. These are often the most personal and best essays.

I found "This I Believe" on NPR. The ones I recall from this book are fine as short essays, but they are even better on the radio. The amusing take on barbeque is an example: made to be spoken. Many others are really personal stories that read well, yet probably would be an even nicer CD for the car.

The mixture of famous people and "regular" (albeit articulate enough) people was absolutely necessary. Reprinting some from the 1950s was a good touch, showing that many beliefs hold true fifty years later, as you would expect. The new essay by a woman who also contributed fifty years ago was one of the highlights.

The book could maybe have used some "bad guys" or cynics to express their beliefs. The authors are good folks (please leave aside whether you think Bill Gates, Newt Gingrich, etc. are "good"), in that they describe positive beliefs and values, people who often want to make a positive contribution to the world. Maybe some meanies or troublemakers could have explained what beliefs made them tick, too.

The background on the original "This I Believe" from the 1950s complements the individual contributions and was very helpful. Jay Allison's introduction also nicely reviews the genesis of the NPR program and how the process unfolded.