There is a lot of noise about empathy these days, it’s being taught in schools, infused in business practices hoping to facilitate cooperation, and injected into marketing. Considering the number of hate groups has increased and the talk about walls, and the wall, are we really gaining any ground with all this noise?

Cris Beam is on a personal journey of discovery with regards to empathy; it is perhaps her own needs and curiosity that drives the narrative, but it isn’t limited, it’s an exploration. “For me, I like empathy because it’s interesting—it’s the only way to be intimate and expansive at once.” She introduces us to the subject by way of history, psychology & neuroscience before moving on to various illustrative, thought-provoking (and often powerful) examples. Along the way, there are bits that give pause; such as:

“Is empathy a skill to be optimized or is it a moral inclination to be nurtured?”
Not all empathy is created equal. There are different forms of empathy.
There can be problems with empathy “when it veers into altruism and helping.”
Do people empathize more with people who mirror them in some way?
Have the social scientists shown that empathy is meaningfully connected to helping behaviors and if so, how?
Forgiveness, human rights and remorse....

Some of the interesting larger scale examples she uses to discuss various aspects of empathy include of Maine's Truth & Reconciliation commission which provided a forum between the five native tribes of the state and the state run foster care system, the Sex Workers Outreach Project of New York, and several examples from South Africa, desegregation at one university but also meeting of families of victims with the imprisoned de Kock, nicknamed during apartheid as "Prime Evil."

In just over two hundred pages, Beam succeeds in sharing her exploration in a way that informs, stimulates and enriches, a worthy read if one has interest in the topic. ( )