Wisdom: The Greatest Gift One Generation Can Give To Another (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Each one of us can be an oasis of peace.—Desmond Tutu

 

Inspired by the idea that wisdom is the greatest gift one generation can give to another, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman interviewed, photographed and filmed 50 of the world’s great writers, actors, artists, designers, politicians, musicians and religious and business leaders of our time. He posed seven questions to each of his subjects—all over 65 years of age—and their candid responses offer uniquely inspirational and often surprising insights.

 

Thoughts from Nelson Mandela, Frank Gehry, Judi Dench, The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Clint Eastwood, Ted Kennedy, Robert Redford, Vaclav Havel, Terence Conran, Buzz Aldrin, Lou Reed, Willie Nelson, Madeline Albright, Jane Goodall, Burt Bacharach, Andrew Wyeth, Vanessa Redgrave, Nadine Gordimer and many more reveal lifetimes of adversity and triumph, and present intimate insights into very public lives.

 

Beautifully photographed and accompanied by a documentary DVD, Wisdom is above all a timeless gift and a deeply revealing portrait of the common experiences that unite generations.

About the Author

Andrew Zuckerman is a New York–based photographer and director, and the author of Creature.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; Har/DVD edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810983591
• ISBN-13: 978-0810983595
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 12.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,822 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, October 30, 2008

By	Stacy Miller "Chief Nut and Number One Dreamer" (Stuttgart, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought Zuckerman's Wisdom based on excerpts I read in Reader's Digest. Now that I've received the book and had a chance to read it, I am blown away. It is stunningly beautiful, both the pictures and the words. I'm only 39 so I don't have the "perspective" someone 65 or older would but I can appreciate every line, every word, every image in this book. I teach high school English, history, and humanities and I can't find a single interview in this book that I couldn't share with my students somehow. We read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and his interview in the Zuckerman book only adds to what he wrote in his novel. I was so moved by what Nick Nolte had to say about finding peace in ourselves and then finding that same, sacred peaceful space in others. (There's more to him than that crazy DUI mug shot.) I had to order two more copies of the book--one to keep in my classroom and one to give to friends. I will ship more at Christmas. Really, the book is filled with so many different points of view, so many perspectives, so many ways to look at life and how to live it. Each interview is thought-provoking in its own way. The 56 minute Wisdom DVD that comes with the book is icing on the cake. It's one thing to look at the (beautiful) photographs and to read the interviews that go with them, and another to watch the subjects and hear their voices. I just can't say enough about this book and how moved I am by it. I saw that a previous reviewer commented on the font/text size and layout of the book, and while I agree it would make reading a challenge, I think the layout works. One, you can't put too many words on a page. I like to think of the white space as thinking space. The words are placed for effect. This isn't meant to be a textbook and the layout of the book is artistic and adds to the overall effect. My only hesitation in recommending the book is that politically conservative readers may object to some of the interviews in the book where the subjects criticise the current political administration. (I know my mom would dismiss the book when she got to Kris Kristofferson's comments about the wars, for example.) Having said that, the value of seeing things from another person's point of view is a great exercise in thinking and considering another viewpoint. Buy the book!

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What A Disappointment!, October 13, 2008

By	A. M. Pavlisin "astute senior" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just received my copy yesterday, eagerly tore the wrappings off and started on it. The book is WONDERFUL! The photos are FABULOUS! The insights are AMAZING! Here's the DISAPPOINTMENT; the text, as important as it is, is set in light weight, small type, impossible for people the same age as those represented therein, to read comfortably or at all, without a magnifying glass.

What on earth would possess the lay-out people to do such a thing? Is there anybody out there in the publishing world wise enough to realize that older people don't buy books that are an uncomfortable strain to read? I had intended this to become my Christmas gift for at least 5 other seniors in my circle of friends. No chance of that happening now that I've seen it. What a shame!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WISDOM ("make someone happy!"), November 6, 2008

By	Mark Blackburn (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Andrew Zuckerman's "WISDOM" is a big and beautiful book, offering up huge color portraits (razor-sharp for this HI-DEF age!) . . . combined with `words of wisdom' from the minds of 51 public figures, mostly from the world of arts & entertainment, but with a few `political' icons included as well.

The `cover photo' honor went to Clint Eastwood who counsels: "Take your profession seriously; don't take yourself seriously."

Jazz giant Dave Brubeck (in one of my favorite insights in the entire book) recalls the time when his late, great alto sax player Paul Desmond "covered (other musicians') mistakes."

"When we recorded with the NY Philharmonic, with Bernstein conducting, a trombonist hit a B-natural instead of a B-flat, by mistake; Paul was improvising and brought that (wrong note) right into the improvisation immediately, and it's so beautiful!

"I always say `There is no mistake . . . if you can resolve it!' Whether it's in your music or your life. Sometimes the mistake actually motivates you - elevates you, into a better circumstance."

-----

When I opened this book for the first time today, I went straight for the thoughts of one of my heroes, Desmond Tutu - the former Anglican primate of South Africa and 1984 Nobel Peace prize winner.

Perhaps better than anyone else in this book, the saintly 'Archbishop Emeritus' offers us the clearest connection between true wisdom and true happiness:

"Happiness is when I see others happy. Happiness is a shared thing. When you bring a gift to someone on their birthday and you see their face light up with joy . . . it's quite incredible what that does for you -- the giver.

"Jesus did say, actually, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Because in giving - (although it may not seem so at the time) - you receive.

"And for me, happiness is that feeling you get when you see someone else happy; happiness is when you are peaceful and serene.

"Serve others. The unfailing recipe for happiness and success is to want the good of others."

Andrew Zuckerman's "Wisdom" (which includes a DVD) is also a bargain (that might have cost twice as much, were it not "printed in China") that would be a pleasing surprise for the reflective people on your 2008 Christmas gift list!

Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada