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Library Journal, Feb.
15, 2003
Review: A Short Course in Kindness
Forrest, Margot Silk
A Short Course in Kindness
A little book on the importance of love and the relative
unimportance of pretty much everything else.
Humanity is "irrevocably
interconnected, for better or worse" notes Forrest (coauthor EMDR:
The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and
Trauma), and she she figures it might as well be for the
better. In unerringly upbeat writing, she puts in a plug for
kindness. The tactics she promotes sound deceptively simple (e.g.,
listen, offer companionship, encourage laughter), but to perform
them truly takes guts and courage. Kind and nice are
sharply distinguished; the latter can be faked, while the former,
which can change someone's life forever, cannot. This will raise
awareness and give readers very real. if subjective, food for
thought. Whereas other book, like Random Acts of Kindness, merely
talk about inspiration, this actually inspires. Like one of
Batman's plans, its so crazy that it just might work.
Midwest
Book Review, July 2003
Review: A Short Course in Kindness
*****
If you desire to have a kinder, gentler, more compassionate soul
when dealing with others or when dealing with life itself then
this book provides a roadmap to get there. "A Short Course in
Kindness" points out the difference between just being nice,
which many people are at times, and being truly kind. Kindness is
a way of life, a way of being. The author points out techniques to
learn to be kind by empathizing with others and as well as
techniques to learn how to be kind to yourself (an aspect of
kindness that many people overlook). Not just content to explore
kindness, she also explores the enemies of kindness and how to
keep them at bay. If you want to change yourself and change
your world you can't go wrong with this book. "A Short Course
in Kindness" is a recommended read.
ForeWordreview.com
*****
A Short Course in Kindness
A Kindness Revolution
Inspiration, Personal Growth, Self Help, Spirituality
Margot Silk Forrest wants to
change the world with this well designed and beautifully written
little book and she makes no apologies for it, stating simply,
"...the only way you change the world is one heart at a
time."
This 122-page book is reminiscent
of the popular little book, Random Acts of Kindness, which spawned
a mini-revolution, angel pins, a website and a recognized day of
its own. Forrest approaches the same subject with a different
slant, a sense of humor, and a true appreciation for how acting
with kindness can not only improve the quality of life for those
who are recipients of kindness, but also increases personal power,
and makes the world a better place to live in.
She writes up-close and personal,
involving the reader in each of her stories. These are not
extraordinary stories but rather simple occurrences between
strangers or friends that make the reader smile while pulling at
the heartstrings. Her readers will want to run out and begin
showering the world with little acts of kindness, hoping only that
they will be passed on to others in need.
Forrest emphasizes the difference
between being nice and being kind, teaching that the first
increases stress while the second reduces it.
"Kindness," she says, "like fear, apathy,
selfishness, and measles, is contagious. The difference is, it's
contagious in a good way."
Kindness takes courage and begins
at home, by first being kind to oneself. Forrest skillfully weaves
in between her examples of kindness, philosophies and quotes from
various writers and religions. She teaches that kindness is all
about choice. "We choose," she writes, "whether to
feel empathy for others, or to allow anger, denial, or depression
to block our capacity for caring."
In the next-to-last chapter,
Forrest offers ten tactics that help people not only become kind,
but also to spread the word of kindness throughout the world
through stories. She openly shares the pain of her own childhood
and how she moved past that into a world of love.
And, finally, in the last
chapter, she petitions for a kindness revolution. "We can
change the world," Forrest says, "because we are the
world."
This is a book to read and reread
during those times in life of feeling sorry for oneself. The best
cure for those mini-depressions is reaching out and doing
something special, something unexpected for someone else.
Karen Blue
Epinions.com
click
for full review
*****
A Short Course in Kindness
Pros: Inspirational,
Insightful, Well-Written
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: I was touched by the content in A Short Course
in Kindness -- it is likely you will be too.
Excerpted from the full review
Within the pages of A Short
Course in Kindness, Margot Silk Forrest combines honesty,
experience, and expertise to provide stories, personal
testimonies, and quotations that melt together, allowing for a
smooth flow in this well-written book...I am grateful for this
Short Course in Kindness, feel that it has blessed me, and highly
recommend obtaining a copy of the book. Also, I would suggest
consideration of this book for gift giving purposes....
Content of A Short Course in
Kindness maintains a principal message - "Kindness is a
revolution whose time has come! and provides Five Principle
Truths:
- "Kindness brings us into
the full use of our personal power.
- "Our ability to give and
receive kindness depends on the kindness we hold for
ourselves.
- "There is a crucial
difference between being nice and being kind: One increases
stress, the other reduces it.
- "Kindness is love, pure,
and simple.
- "One of the shortest
paths to self-discovery is the conscious practice of kindness.
Margot Silk Forrest explains the
chilling results of unkindness. "Nothing teaches us so much
about the "Nothing teaches us so much about the importance of
kindness as the lack of it. She provides true stories and
eyewitness account, supportive of points made throughout the book.
Within a particular tale, I
realized the difference between being nice versus being kind. This
was a welcome discovery, one that literally caused me to rethink
certain commitments and expectations. As Author Margot Silk
Forrest states, "There is a crucial difference between being
nice and being kind: One increases stress, the other reduces it.
Captivation of merely this principal offers strong enough reason
to purchase this book...
[Another point she makes is
this:] If we allow the unkind acts of others to outweigh the kind
acts, we are robbing ourselves, and possibly allowing the 'enemies
of kindness' to overtake. The author lists suspected enemies of
kindness: "time, anger, pain, hatred, selfishness,
self-importance, cynicism, stress, exhaustion, apathy, distrust,
denial, risk aversion, pessimism, loss of faith, disdain,
self-hatred, shame, and unconsciousness.
Margot Silk Forrest also states,
"Kindness has the capacity to turn the powerless into the
empowered.
She talks about the unfortunate
misuse of power, but reminds us that acts of kindness show us the
power that we have: "Kindness brings us into the full use of
our personal power.
Recommended: Yes
© 2003 by Lisa_J
Top Reviewer
Location: Washington State, USA
Reviews written: 596; Trusted by: 542 members
la estrella
newspaper, 28 de
marzo de 2003
Un curso
en bondad
Tal vez algunos
dirian que la bondad ha quedado extinta, reservada simplemente
para aquellas personas que son consideradas fuera de serie.
Otros tal vez
creen que la amabilidad es importante para ensenar a nuestros
hijos, per algo poco real en un mundo competitivo.
La autora
Margot Silk Forrest intenta cambiar todo eso en su obra A Short
Course in Kindness (Un pequeno curso en bondad.)
En este libro,
Silk muestra el poder de la bondad y los cambios que puede ejercer
en las vidas de la gente y el mundo.
Escrito de una
manera sencilla y practica, la autora examina lo que pasa dentro
de las personas, y despues esboza de una manera inteligente para
vencer esos obstaculos para vivir una vida con bondad.
Curled Up with a Good Book
*****
A Short Course in Kindness
A
Little Book on the Importance of Love and the
Relative Unimportance of Just About Everything Else
Margot Silk Forrest
L.M.
Press
Paperback, 130 pages, April 2003
Sometimes
we find ourselves wandering through life, beaten down by the
terrible things we see on the news, disheartened by the mean
things people say to us, hurt by the nastiness we see in the world
every day. Sometimes we just feel tired and wonder what it's
all for. And then something comes along that makes us realize that
every day has meaning, that every word that comes out of our
mouths is a chance to change someone's
life. A
Short Course in Kindness
by Margot Silk Forrest is one of those things that comes along and
lightens your load along with opening your eyes.
In
her small, 124-page book, Forrest is able to convey her feelings
about kindness, give examples of small acts of kindness that have
changed lives, and convince the reader that, as she says, "kindness
is a revolution whose time has come.
It
would be difficult to accept the concepts of kindness that
Forrest proposes if the author was someone who had never
experienced the cruel ways of the world, someone who has only been
shown kindness throughout her life. However, Forrest isn't
shy in telling us that she has experienced enormous cruelty in her
life, has been bogged down by depression, and has come around to
see that kindness is not something you should just expect from
others --
it
is something you must offer.
Each
of the 13 chapters in this remarkable little book begins with a
true story of kindness that either the author has experienced
herself or has been made aware of by her readers, or those to whom
she speaks, or mentors (as well as being an author, Margot is also
a public speaker and a mentor to those who want to express
themselves through writing). The stories work effectively to draw
the reader in, then treat them to a lesson that always hits home.
By the end of the book, it's
impossible not to see your fellow human beings in a different
light.
In
today's
world, kindness is not a concept often encountered. On any given
day, we experience jealousy, harshness, disinterest and apathy. We
internalize these actions and often end up recycling them and
aiming them at our friends, family, or strangers on the street.
How often do we see the kind acts that happen every day, in
everyone's
life?
And,
more importantly, how often do we take the initiative and create
that kindness ourselves? Margot Silk Forrest's
book will make you ask yourself these questions and, more
importantly, will make you want to start changing the world, one
kind act at a time.
©
2003 by Angela McQuay for Curled Up With a Good Book
Mt. Shasta Magazine, January
2003
By Lisa Derr
Title: A Short Course in
Kindness
Author: Margot Silk Forrest
www.LMPress.com
By Lisa Derr
"Bush Warns of War."
"Sniper Hits D.C. Boy."
"Hamas Vows More Attacks."
It is easy to lose heart. In
these days of threat, fear, and hate when children are taken from
their own front porches, it's hard to remember how powerful love
is. That is why we need a book like Margot Silk Forrest's A
Short Course in Kindness, due out this spring.
"We are agents of positive
change," Forrest writes in her new book. "We
matter." Forrest, an author, speaker and activist, reminds us
of the power of our own good deeds. She offers practical ideas on
how to express our hearts and spirits even in these challenging
times. The true stories of kindness she shares are revolutionary
in their simplicity, from an anesthesiologist who recites poetry
for a frightened patient to a pregnant young woman who prevents a
lost wallet from being taken by thieves.
Forrest reminds us that true
power comes from acts of goodness, no matter how small.
"Kindness," she says, "has the capacity to turn the
powerless into the empowered." She invites us to join her in
a "Kindness Revolution," one in which loving deeds not
only improve our lives but deepen our spiritual core.
A Short Course in Kindness
is beautifully designed and beautifully written with tales,
reflections and well-chosen quotations. The small format, quick
pacing and crisp writing style make it an appealing and easy read.
Forrest draws some fascinating
distinctions, such as the difference between being nice and being
kind. Kindness, she says, is neither superficial nor sacrificial.
It is an act of giving that is pure both in its impact and in its
motivation. She also shows us that courage, empathy and the
ability to receive are crucial to spreading kindness in our world.
Forrest includes ten strategies
for creating a "Kindness Revolution," practical ways in
which we can use the power of love in our daily lives. Kindness,
she says, is a revolution where everyone wins.
"My intention in writing
this book is to change the world," Forrest declares. "We
can change the world because we are the world." This book
shows us that the way to start is to look at and change ourselves
and our lives, one kind act at a time. A Short Course in
Kindness gave me more than a lesson in applied love. It offers
a powerful antidote to toxic headlines and depressing news. It's a
beautiful little book that inspires and heals.
Although the publication date for
A Short Course in Kindness is not until April, Mt. Shasta
Magazine readers can get advance copies locally at Village Books,
or from the publisher's web site, www.LMPress.com
Lisa Derr is the author of A
Song Between Lives, a novel about Spanish gypsies,
reincarnation and flamenco, available through amazon.com.
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