Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything―Embracing Grace, Kindness, and Connection in Today's World

by Julia Baird

Bright Shining has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Audiobook, Psychology, Memoir, Australia

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Julia Baird is a journalist, broadcaster and author based in Sydney, Australia. She hosts The Drum on ABCTV and writes columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and the International New York Times. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Guardian, the Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald, the Sun-Herald, The Monthly and Harper’s Bazaar.

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat uneven, with most examples not truly what I’d have defined as ‘grace’. There is definitely some beauty in this though.

Baird seems to have good premises for her books (and nice but mismatched titles) but then insufficient and incongruous material to fill a book. She then compensates by filling with researched anecdotes. After the first couple of chapters it’s clear Baird should just write a memoir, which is also true for ‘Phosphorescence’ which I enjoyed more.
Would not have finished this if I hadn’t been listening to the audiobook. Mostly reads like a series of columns, diary entries, or an uneven memoir. A few lines appeared to contradict some of her philosophies, many sections appearing to start with one intent but then diverting and confusing the message.

“Seeking awe, wonder and light”, as Baird claims is her life’s quest, is inspiring but a privilege that is not truly acknowledged here by the writer, whose references to her quest, and many of her lapses into memoir, appear somewhat out of touch.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I'm not a spiritual person, I cringe when I see or hear words like grace, god, faith soul etc. you get the gist. But, I admire Baird and I loved her previous book Phosporescense so I couldn't help myself.

I read her above mentioned book three years ago. While listening to this, I was wondering for a while whether I was listening to Phosphorescence as many of the anecdotes, and stories were known to me - her love of the ocean, her multiple operations and treatments for cancer, her relationships, her mother working in prisons with Catholic organisations and a few other bits and pieces.
Nevertheless, I didn't mind it, her shooting voice was a good companion while I spent a million hours in the kitchen over the Christmas period. The irony wasn't lost on me when she mentioned the unequal division of domestic and emotional labour.

Grace is such a wishy-washy word, so hard to define, Baird herself realised. You could call it forgiveness, giving second chances - I don't know. She offers some examples of people who suffered great, unimaginable losses - who eventually came to forgive those who caused those losses. I get it, forgiving needs to happen in order to move forward. But also, it can't be forced, and if it doesn't occur that's perfectly valid, well, it's reality, it's a personal choice and/or ability.

We all get hurt and we hurt others, intentionally and unintentionally, we should keep that in mind.

[Daria Ostrowska · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.5

Baird has an authentically caring voice, which helps drive her message home. Some of the stories and examples she uses are more interesting than others and I found the passages about her own experiences to be the most engaging. Things got a little repetitive towards the end - there are only so many ways you can say “grace requires empathy” and “forgiveness isn’t easy but it’s rewarding”. Not bad but not overly enlightening, either.

[Ita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Phosphorescence but this book on grace did not grab me. I felt it was more of the same and it didn't have an impact on me. Still 3 stars as it was lovely to listen to Julia Baird read her own book to me. I now have to reread Phosphorescence for book group in 10 days but I'm going to have a little break from Julia to read it with fresh eyes.

[Sara Garrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Julia Baird

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. How we offer and receive grace, how we afford forgiveness to those who may not serve it and they do so in return. In a world full of cynicism, cancellation and cruelty this is the antithesis we need. So much research! So much cleverness rolled into one beautiful piece of writing. Thank you Julia 🙏🏼

[staykind · Rating 5 out of 5]

revelant and helpful writting on how we can cultivate healthy attitudes in the face of hate

[Megan Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I expected to. I was quite skeptical at first and there were some ‘both-sidesism‘ elements and a few references to ‘cancel culture’ that didn’t sit well with me. But it was beautifully written and the conclusions drawn in the end were all really well thought out and considered. It definitely gave me a lot to think about.

[Joanie222 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the type of book that I would choose generally, but I’m glad to have read it. Food for thought.

[David Pulliam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. I thought learning about grace from a secular perspective would be eye-opening but actually found the book to be depressing. She has no concept of unlimited grace and is very much set on the idea that grace = kindness rather then unmerited favor. In some ways, it was a sad read to see how bankrupt a beautiful act becomes in a secular worldview.

[Anne Deane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It had similarities in style and small overlaps in focus with Julia Baird’s earlier book “Phosphorescence”. As with that earlier book, I appreciate Baird’s easy-to-me weaving of solid research into her writing. It spares the book from being limited to reflection and opinion (both of which have enormous value). I also appreciate Baird’s personal anecdotes (probably more so due to growing up in a similar religious sub culture to her).

The notion of “grace” is such an important one to me in the times we live … given cultural expectations around deservedness, punishment and retribution for wrongs done, staying in positions of power … The book contains rich examples of “grace” across time and cultures: the very reality of being alive, receiving what is underserved and seeing the good … the humanity… in others. Imagine if grace was given and received at the highest levels of power in our world.

I bought this book thinking to pass it on to a friend - which I will - but not without some warnings. There are one or two very raw examples of crimes and misdemeanours in the book which will be very triggering to some readers. I would rather my friend had this flagged before reading so they can choose whether to skip the examples or not.

The book was otherwise an easy, engaging and thought provoking read. 8/10

[Nigel Fortescue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book because I love God’s amazing grace shown to us all in Jesus Christ. But the more Baird piled examples of grace upon grace throughout the book, the more I felt the real star of the show was missing entirely. The enthralling mystery of grace is love and mercy to the entirely unworthy. While some of the stories captured this, they were the ones with people motivated by the grace shown to all of us at the cross.

That said, the book is a brilliant collection of stories about kindness - to self, to others, to lovers and enemies. There’s a litany of well structured thoughts and beautiful relationships unveiled here that will occasionally make your heart pulse that little bit harder.

I listened to it and having Julia read it was a treat. When you hear the tonality, tempo and pauses the author wanted heard, you really hear a book.

3.5⭐️

[Cara Achterberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely book, particularly at this juncture in time with so much negativity rampant in the world. I truly enjoy contemplating them many angles and aspects of grace. The writing was excellent, of course. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Bright Shining and give my honest feedback.

[Chloe Ives · Rating 1 out of 5]

The start of the book is amazing and got me thinking of a lot to do with real life etc. The last third of the book wasn’t for me and I thought it lost the overall grave meaning of the book. I wouldn’t read it or recommend.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always read anything by Julia. Not as good as her last one though

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the concept of the book however the writing style wasn't engaging for me. Text seemed clunky to read and easy to get lost and lose the point of discussion.

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Ros Gaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book is uplifting, emotional, and insightful. Brace yourself to read it - parts of its no holds barred analysis of the treatment of indigenous people, women and the downtrodden are so accurate and honest they are painful to read. The definitions of ‘grace’ used are broad, but Baird offers a unique and valuable perspective on what it means to behave with grace in the modern world.

[Pip Dossetor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Julia’s writing feels like getting a hug when you’re down, or sipping a warm mug of tea on a cold day

[Asha Kuchel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need some time to write a proper review of this book (although I feel that way after every book I read). I’ve never read a book like this before - part reflection, part essay, part personal memoir. I am a deeply spiritual and reflective person, so receiving this book as a gift from my friend Nicola made me feel so loved! Grace is something I have a deep understanding of because of my Catholic faith and it’s something I love to pray and think about. To me it is about unconditional and undeserving love and sacrifice that I am as worthy of as the person I would deem least worthy of. It was insightful to read Julia’s deep exploration of grace in forgiveness, nature, Mother-hood, healthcare workers, Restorative Justice, survivors of illness and trauma and Indigenous Reconciliation. I do think she missed an opportunity in her reflection on grace with her persistent criticism of religion. While she shared examples of people who credited their grace and forgiveness to Islam or Christianity, she was highly critical of these religions. It felt like a missing part of the book because of how spiritual and reflective some of the book is. Her spirituality is evident in her personal anecdotes of nature and it was beautiful to read this. This book was very evidence heavy, quantitative and qualitative, and really dragged in the middle. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone I know because of that and the deeply reflective nature of the book. It was repetitive and choppy in parts and a little disorganised but I think that speaks to the nature of Grace; hard to put a finger on, impossible to measure and ever flowing.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has lovely moments, but was not as unified in it's ideas as I had expected. In some chapters I felt it drifted from the main idea and even from the topic of grace, into discussing beauty or other related concepts. However, the point was well made that grace towards others can be really impactful, even when only in minor things.

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was all the best kinds of bright and shining, in the best of ways. It isn’t simply an exploration of happy, forgiving humans. Julia is far too clever for that. I was relieved to see her unafraid to march into the raw, the challenging and the hard topics. How do humans forgive (and should they) when they have been stollen, abused and lived through the worst of humankind? When cancer keeps snapping at their heels, or when life does not go according to plan? And why is the burden of forgiving placed on those on the receiving end of these horrid acts? Anyone sitting down to read this should expect to be pushed and challenged, but rest assured you will exit the other side of this book challenged by how you can contribute to a more grace-filled world, and a sense of hope.

[Maria Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very different from what l expected. The book was about Grace, but there was so much trauma depicted throughout the book and certainly showed how humans can be so brutal to one another. The amount of damage that has been done due to people following religions, cults, cultural beliefs, male dominance. Women and Children have suffered such cruel acts, racist acts in our own Country and others. Julia talks about Grace shown by the victims, and their forgiveness. She talks about her own illness and the Grace she has had with her love of the Ocean and the joy that has occurred in her own healing.

[Chantale Roxanas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Julia Baird’s writing, and this book had some beautiful and thought provoking passages. Her previous book Phosphorescence was incredible and I wanted to like this as much but I didn’t. It’s hard to write about something as nebulous as grace. It kind of falls apart under a microscope because once you try and prescribe grace it loses what makes it grace in the first place. I’m glad I read it, but if your choice is between this and phosphorescence - read phosphorescence.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thought provoking book. While a few of the ideas and stories were in her first book, Grace still brings some new things to ponder. I especially loved the section on forgiveness, in how she broke down the typical view of forgiveness that we must forgive and let go, with examples of what terrible things people have gone through, to building it up as something we do for ourselves and something that is different for each of us.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baird is such a soothing writer but this book seemed pretty unresolved as a whole. Some parts really worked, others didn’t. Some parts felt like I was reading a draft where she’d compiled other people’s quotes and hadn’t yet turned them into her own ideas. 3.5 stars.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an engaging read with many ideas to think about.

[Penny Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy Julia’s writing for its clarity, its honesty and its ability to evoke both environments and emotions with great economy of style. Bright Shining is brilliant - just read it!

[Lilianna Galea · Rating 4 out of 5]

My love of Julia colours this review, so I’ll just put my star rating. Any words will be heavily biased. (Hope she visits Coffs Harbour soon.)
Came back to edit: Julia, if you ever read this, I too would have cried after that whisky/poetry party. Just adding this in, just in case you ever see it. Clearly whisky and poetry = safe space needed, like a special embalming of the soul sacrament. You need that unconditional positive regard for those. It’s like expecting political editing to flourish without caffeine and wit. Poetry can’t heal you without love and a bit of Courage.
Rant done!

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is it ungraceful to dump on someone's writing?
I had very high hopes for this book. Human dignity and respect for the miracle of life seems to be in short supply these days.

BUT this is just a cut and paste assemblage. Quote a poet, quote an author. Sprinkle in some tributes to indigenous people and call it a book.