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It was not a bunch of self-affirmation, feel good mumbo-jumbo. The author would first narrate the situations that led them to their beliefs.In other words there was plenty of nuts and bolts within each essay to keep me interested. I was expecting the essays to be filled with mostly dry rhetoric and generalizations. Instead I was pleasantly surprised that most included detailed anecdotes that provided the background behind the authors beliefs.
In fact, I usually had to reserve these for the way home, because some of the stories were so captivating that it was hard to get into my work for half an hour or more after listening to them. I had expected a lot of religious content from the title, but there was little of that.
Included some modern NPR stories and some from the original CBS series in the '50s. Mostly just people talking about some important aspect of or event from their lives.
I'm always looking for a good audiobook to listen to on the way to work and back, and this series has been one of the best I've heard. The stories are a mix.
Altogether very interesting, and well worth the time to read or hear. Every story is different: some are predictable and a little boring, but most are good, and some are really amazing.
One story about a lady who adopted a boy from China still makes me cry whenever I think about it (happy tears).
This book is nothing less than I expect from NPR. I found that the time flew and I was inspired to consider my own life philosophy. uplifting, funny, touching, thought-provoking and so many other great things. I bought this book to read in the airport and on flights for a recent business trip.
I highly recommend. This series is very thought provoking. I listen to these CDs on my way to work every morning and they get me in just the right frame of mind to get on with my day.
I still think Believe is worth reading, and I love that NPR invites anyone to submit their own essay. There is a pseodo-soapbox feel to this book. I found This I Believe to ultimately be a little pithy and heavy-handed at times. Which seems only natural when people are passionately expressing their "personal credos." I wonder if it would be more interesting to ~hear~ the essays, which is the originally intended format on NPR.
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