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My favorite essays were from a woman who wrote one for the 1950s show when she was 16 years old. The essays in this book were from both the 1950s version of the This I Believe radio show and the current day version of the show. It was interesting to see how a person's views change over that length of time. The producers of the current show asked her, now a woman in her 50s, to write another one. Both famous and everyday people are included and they run the gamut from liberal, conservative, spiritual and secular. The best part - the essays are only three pages long, not long to suffer if you don't agree with the writer's views.
The book also includes essays from the original 1950s radio program. They are light-hearted and cover a wide range of topics such as the environment, politics, religion and human interaction. They are submitted from all types of people in all facets of life. I keep this book in my purse and take it out when I have a few spare minutes. Each essay only takes a few minutes to read, so its great if you don't have enough time to sit and read for a while. I find that the "Chicken Soup" books are too heavy for me, and usually make me cry. The short personal essays are inspirational without being too cheesy. The essays in "Believe" are less emotional.
Whether the essayist was a well known person or one unknown prior to contributing to the collection, I found them all informative or instructive in some way. I found the essays in the book (This I Believe) well worth reading and often quite insightful.
These personal essays are not earth-shaking. One word I checked in a dictionary. Themes range from private to patriotic, but most entertain and enlighten. This book samples a variety of outlooks on the question of one's sustaining values. The writing is written in language suitable for middle-grade students through adulthood.
A wonderful array of incredible voices offer some very personal and revealing secrets that are sure to motivate your own self-evaluation. How often do you get to sit in the same room with some of the great personalities of history and have them tell you about themselves. The This I Believe series permits just that, and you get to hear their actual voices.
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