Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community

by Born This Way Foundation Reporters, Lady Gaga

A collection of 51 stories of kindness, bravery, and resilience from young people all over the world collected by the Born This Way Foundation and introduced by Lady Gaga.For Lady Gaga, kindness is the driving force behind everything she says and does. The quiet power of kindness can change the way we view one another, our communities, and even ourselves. She embodies this mission, and through her work, brings more kindness into our world every single day.Lady Gaga has always believed in the importance of being yourself, being kind to yourself and others, no matter who they are or where they come from. With that sentiment in mind, she and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, founded Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world a kinder and braver place. Through the years, they've collected stories of kindness, bravery, and resilience from young people all over the world, proving that kindness truly is the universal language. And now, we invite you to read these stories and follow along as each and every young author finds their voice, just as Lady Gaga has found hers.Within these pages, you'll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, who prevailed in the face of bullies, who started their own social movements, who decided to break through the mental health stigma and share how they felt, who created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and who have embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return.Individually and collectively, these stories prove that kindness not only saves lives but builds community. Kindness is inclusion, it is pride, it is empathy, it is compassion, it is self-respect and it is the guiding light to love. Kindness is always transformational, and its never-ending ripples result in even more kind acts that can change our lives, our communities, and our world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to be inspired and renew your faith in the world, read this book.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspirational.

[Nancy Beshears · Rating 4 out of 5]

There really are some amazing kids, and adults, in this world! Kudos to them all! Thanks for the smiles.😁

[Juliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Though I was surrounded by love, I often lived in the world by myself [...] The world that I created in my dreams was one in which people led with kindness, were emboldened by bravery, and accumulated love and community.” I’ve whole-heartedly loved Lady Gaga for almost half of my life: her music, her live performances, her presence and unflappable sense of artistry, and the ethos of love and kindness that she inspires. Like many LGBTQ+ people of my generation, Gaga’s art and activism was not only instrumental to my self-realisation, but continued to shape and salvage me in moments when I have been in need — I can’t account for how often ‘Marry The Night’ has revived me, or how necessary Chromatica was for me surviving heartbreak this year. Now there’s a book, full of radical kindness and inspiration, which she introduces and provides running commentary on within: Channel Kindness, stories of kindness and community written by the Born This Way Foundation reporters, young people who work with and represent Gaga’s BTWF charity, working to “support the wellness of young people and empower them to create a kinder and braver world”. Articles on grief, love, sexuality, gender, sports, transgender youth, consent, yoga, animals, illness, music and more proliferate, creating a wide-ranging, deeply thoughtful abundance of platforms, kindnesses for anyone who may need them. Scarlett Lewis’ article on The Choose Love Movement, which she began after the death of her precious son Jesse in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, has remained with me in the months since reading this book, a sobering reminder of what it means to exercise compassion always, even in the face of horrendous loss and injustice. I am grateful to Scarlett Lewis, to all the other writers in this book, to Maya and Cynthia who run the BTWF, and to Lady Gaga, who uses her platform and makes me so glad to share this spinning chunk of rock with her.

[Jesús García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Kate TerHaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindness matters!

[Erin Wyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational. Perfect first book for a new year.

[glitterholiday · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to see people making a difference in their own way, using their gifts in their own corners of the world.

[AlAli · Rating 3 out of 5]

ONE SMALL ACT OF KINDNESS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

[Cecily Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!🤍😄📚

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic YA book about kindness. Great resources for the readers to get involved and make a positive difference.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Lady Gaga’s music/style/production is not for everyone, but there is so much more to her as an individual than what meets the eye. She’s an advocate for mental illness, environmental sustainability, special needs, chronic illnesses, LGBTQ+, drug & substance abuse, among many other social issues in our communities. The Born This Way Foundation has given so much to so many struggling individuals that don’t feel seen or heard, and reading some of these stories really kinds of reset my faith in the world and gives me hope. Some of these younger kids writing stories about the foundations or programs they’ve started on their own really helps me believe that there are young people out there invested in leaving this world a little bit better than how we found it. It’s inspiring to have a popular musician who uses her platform in a multitude of ways and that Gaga speaks out for people who don’t always have the strength to use their voice. She’s a fearless progressive leader in a time where the world could use a little more kindness, and it’s refreshing to have someone like her with a massive following use her position to promote more good in the world.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a lot of hope for the future. So many amazing stories of resilience and hope. It is a great resource for organizations that are changing the world through kindness.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of inspirational stories about people who experienced kindness or overcame adversity through kindness. It's comforting to know that there are good people in this world.