Review by Booklist Review
Tippett, recipient of the National Humanities Medal and the host of the acclaimed NPR radio show On Being (originally called Speaking of Faith), is used to taking on the big questions and discussing them with some of the most influential voices in religion, philosophy, and science. This book focuses on turning elements of various spiritual traditions love, compassion, forgiveness, among them into actions. In turn, these actions are defined by words, each of which heads a chapter: flesh, love, faith, hope, and words. Pieces of Tippett's conversations about faith feature Reza Aslan, congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, and author Eve Ensler, among many others, with heart-lifting poetry and the author's musings infusing each chapter. These conversations and Tippett's writing throughout make for deep and thought-provoking reading. This is not another make-your-life-better how-to manual, of which there are far too many, but there are occasions where Tippett's rarefied language obscures rather than enlightens. Nevertheless, those willing to take the time to walk with Tippett and her fellow conversationalists will find much to ponder here.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Artful listening is Tippett's (Einstein's God) trademark. Her mellifluous voice, adored by listeners of her radio program and podcast On Being, floats off the pages of this deftly woven collection of interviews. For over a decade, Tippett has interviewed "geniuses in the art of living": scientists, philosophers, poets, playwrights, theologians-anyone who delves deeply into what it means to be human. "I love the deep savvy about hope that religion tends," she writes, "its reverence for the undervalued virtue of beauty, its seriousness about the common human experience of mystery. Our spiritual lives are where we reckon head-on with the mystery of ourselves, and the mystery of each other." But this is not just a selection of greatest hits. Instead, rooted in Tippett's own keen insight, she provides an interlocking frame based on five themes: words, the body, love, faith, and hope. With dips into Tippett's childhood and early career, readers are embraced by her own struggle, vulnerability, and thirst for meaning. As researcher and TED-talk phenom Brené Brown told Tippett, "Hope is a function of struggle." Tippett's striving here is the grist for creative genius. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
