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The Forgiveness Factor: Stories of Hope in a World of Conflict
Henderson, Michael
290 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
About the author
Michael Henderson
118 books12 followersYou'll find my bio on my website at www.michaelhenderson.org.uk
My new book has been reviewed in Publishers Weekly. See below:
Review of NO ENEMY TO CONQUER, in Publishers Weekly Dec 15, 2008
No Enemy to Conquer: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World Michael Henderson, foreword by the Dalai Lama. Baylor Univ., $19.95 paper (234p) ISBN-978-1-60258-140-1
Henderson (From India with Hope), whose Irish Protestant family sought reconciliation with their Catholic compatriots, may be just the sort of eloquent messenger the world needs to understand the utility and not just the symbolic value of forgiveness. Starting with the Dalai Lama’s foreword—a paean to the power of redemption—this book is a blissful read and a persuasive argument for forgiveness as a practical tool for global survival. As the author demonstrates in a discussion of (the few) American individuals and institutions that have made formal apologies for the African slave trade, history cannot be redeemed with an apology, but an apology can create a new starting point for history. Most instructive, however, are the stories of people, from Chechnya to Pennsylvania Amish country, who have suffered unspeakable acts at the hands of enemies and staunchly refuse to be consumed by victimhood. Henderson shows the real muscle behind forgiveness, avoiding preciousness and sentimentality. He writes, “Forgiveness has an image problem”—with this latest effort, perhaps no more. (Feb.)
My new book has been reviewed in Publishers Weekly. See below:
Review of NO ENEMY TO CONQUER, in Publishers Weekly Dec 15, 2008
No Enemy to Conquer: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World Michael Henderson, foreword by the Dalai Lama. Baylor Univ., $19.95 paper (234p) ISBN-978-1-60258-140-1
Henderson (From India with Hope), whose Irish Protestant family sought reconciliation with their Catholic compatriots, may be just the sort of eloquent messenger the world needs to understand the utility and not just the symbolic value of forgiveness. Starting with the Dalai Lama’s foreword—a paean to the power of redemption—this book is a blissful read and a persuasive argument for forgiveness as a practical tool for global survival. As the author demonstrates in a discussion of (the few) American individuals and institutions that have made formal apologies for the African slave trade, history cannot be redeemed with an apology, but an apology can create a new starting point for history. Most instructive, however, are the stories of people, from Chechnya to Pennsylvania Amish country, who have suffered unspeakable acts at the hands of enemies and staunchly refuse to be consumed by victimhood. Henderson shows the real muscle behind forgiveness, avoiding preciousness and sentimentality. He writes, “Forgiveness has an image problem”—with this latest effort, perhaps no more. (Feb.)
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May 31, 2009
I came across "The Forgiveness Factor" while doing research on forgiveness and reconciliation for my senior undergrad creative nonfiction thesis. It's a book I treasure.
From the foreword by Rajmohan Gandhi:
I marvel at the array of Henderson's evidence of reconciliation between bitterly divided groups. What is the invisible spark that, seemingly sudden at times, unites humans who have vowed death and humiliation to each other? Is it composed of forgiveness offered or asked? Of pity for survivors? Of a willingness to pause and reflect? Of an unexpected glimpse of the enemy in oneself or of oneself in the enemy? [...:] Why does grief trigger in one the emotion of revenge, and pity in another? Every episode related in this book sparks such a question. [...:] We also ask other questions, and wonder whether, in practice, trust is likely between whites and blacks in the United States. Between Hutus and Tutsis, Indians and Pakistanis, Arabs and Israelis. Between the world of the West and the world of Islam. [...:] May these narratives of courage and faith be widely read! I think they will inspire at least some acts of bridge-building.
Displaying 1 of 1 review