A Short Course in Kindness: A Little Book on the Importance of Love and the Relative Unimportance of Just About Everything Else

by Margot Silk Forrest, Catherine Ryan Hyde (Introduction)

"More than simply thought-provoking, A Short Course in Kindness challenges and inspires the reader to effect change through kindness. In warm and engaging prose, this book explains true kindness as opposed to mere niceness and explores its power and benefits. It motivates individuals to exhibit and practice kindness, describing in clear and simple terms ways to integrate kindness as the response of choice. Included are techniques for developing the ability to empathize with others and strategies for being kind to oneself."

Genres: Nonfiction

130 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel sad when I see books like this – only because I realize that they even have to be written. That we even have to ask people to consider how important it is to be kind to one another – or to think about how influential we all can be if we show a little kindness to each other.

Yet here we are with a book that is wanting to teach us how to be kind.

This one is actually written by a local author to us. She is in the town next to me in Cayucos.

When I first moved to the Central Coast to teach, I moved to Cayucos. It is a beautiful little beach town that as of this year has 2,133 residents.

I felt so fortunate when I first moved to the Central Coast in 1989 to take the job to teach at the local college. My first place of residence was in Cayucos. Sight unseen, the landlord rented me his large 3-bedroom, 2 l/2 bath house on Studio Drive, across from the beach, for me and my two young sons, and a roommate, for $850/month. I know, it seems impossible to imagine in today’s dollars, but it was so affordable to live in this area back then.

And kindness is exactly what greeted me from the moment I stepped into my new environment.

My review…

Sometimes we find ourselves wandering through life, beaten down by the terrible things we see, disheartened by the mean things people say to each other, or to us. Even hurt by the nastiness we see in the world each day.

Sometimes we get tired and wonder how we can gather our energy again.

And then we realize the importance of kindness. To ourselves. To each other.

And…

That words matter.

This book reminds us of this.

In her small, 124-page book, Forrest is able to convey her feelings about kindness, give examples of small acts of kindness that have changed lives, and convince the reader that, as she says, “kindness is a revolution whose time has come.”

Forrest knows best, having come from a difficult background herself, experiencing personal cruelty and depression. Coming up from this in her life, she recognizes how important kindness is when we don’t expect it from others – but when we can offer it, instead.

Each of the 13 chapters in this remarkable little book begins with a true story of kindness that either the author has experienced herself or has been made aware of by her readers, or those to whom she speaks, or mentors.

Her stories work effectively to draw the reader in, then treat them to a lesson that always hits home.

By the end of the book, it’s impossible not to see fellow human beings in a different light.

In today’s world, kindness is not a concept often encountered.

On any given day, we experience jealousy, harshness, disinterest and apathy.

How often do we see random acts of kindness happen every day, in people’s lives?

And, more importantly, how often do we take the initiative to create that kindness ourselves?

Just maybe this little book could make readers ask themselves these questions and, want to start changing the world, one kind act at a time.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humanity is “irrevocably interconnected, for better or worse” notes Forrest (coauthor, EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma), and she figures it might as well be for the better. In unerringly upbeat writing, she puts in a plug for kindness. The tactics that she promotes sound deceptively simple (e.g., listen, offer companionship, encourage laughter), but to perform them truly takes guts and courage. Kind and nice are sharply distinguished; the latter can be faked while the former, which can change someone’s life forever, cannot. This will raise awareness and give readers very real, if subjective, food for thought. Whereas other books, like Random Acts of Kindness, merely talk about inspiration, this actually inspires. Like one of Batman’s plans, it’s so crazy that it just might work! With a foreword by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay It Forward), this is recommended.

Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems small and unassuming but it has made a huge impact on my ability to be kind. It brought to light some principles of kindness that I had never thought about before, like the difference between kind and nice, and how not having enough time hurts our ability to be kind. Warning: a few swear words and a few tough stories to read.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it so much, I bought 3 copies!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reminder of the difference between niceness and kindness. With examples of acts of kindness, the author encourages us to change the world by having the courage to be our best selves. Each chapter explores how kindness affects people and in one chapter she lists ten things that help us be kind people. Really enjoyed this and more importantly it gave me lots to think about how to put this in to action.

[Klyon]

Small read, many good quotes.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little gem, like its title states, is a brief take on the definition of kindness. Among other things, the author highlights the difference between being nice and kind and how courage is a necessity. A loose Christian message was present but it didn't take away from the main message making the book widely applicable. It was a refreshing read that conjured up faith of all that is good in the world. I highly recommend this book to realists and pessimists for a healthy dose of optimism.

[Tina Zellman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking notion - the differences between being kind versus nice.