Marlo Thomas

There are many adult development and self-help books offering helpful programs and philosophies which can facilitate better understanding of ourselves and others, and enhance our emotional health and personal achievement.

But the value of this collection of dozens of brief essays and stories is in how much the experiences of "ordinary" people, not experts, can teach us about the deep inspiration we can find in simple words.

One of the contributors for example, homemaker Carole O'Hare, grieves show more the loss of her mother in United Flight 93, killed by terrorists. Carole relates the many ways she valued the life with her mother, and recalls a favorite piece of advice from her, "Life is for the living, Carole. Go do it." Carole says it has helped her not only keep living in spite of grief, but to write a newsletter for Flight 93 families.

As editor Marlo Thomas notes in the Foreword, "the right words can transform us." show less

Very disappointing and hard to read. The book is subtitled My Story. I expected to hear about what it was like to grow up with Danny Thomas as your father and having dinner guests such as George Burns or Jack Benny and yes, you did get some of that and I admit that what there was of it was very good - but I am sure there were many more stories Thomas could have told of her father, her tv series That Girl, and others she worked with. Instead, you got an interruption every other chapter or so show more where Thomas interviews a comedian such as Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, and others and asks them questions about their childhood and if they were the class clown. This has NOTHING to do with Ms. Thomas' story. If I had wanted to read about these people (which I did not) I would have bought a book on them. It got so that I skipped those chapters to preserve the continuity of what there was of the story of Marlo Thomas. It disrupted your concentration on the text and the enjoyment of hearing those stories to then go into a chapter on a completely different topic and subject. Additionally, Ms. Thomas did not go into the loss of her mother and what affect that had on their family. She devoted a chapter to her mother but never let us know what happened to this interesting personality and comedian in her own right. The interviews with the comedians that so disrupted this book should have been a different book or put altogether in the back. show less

It's ironic that I would choose to read a book about lasting marriages, when I am no longer in a current relationship. However, this book intrigued me, as having been married for over 30 years, I sought to find out the secret to lasting marriages of celebrated couples. Were they happily married, or were they living together in toleration of each other? I'm not sure that I found the true answer to that question, but I did notice that most of the couples faced obstacles that interfered in show more their marriages, and they sought some kind of counselor or therapist from which to help resolve the issues. Honest, empathetic communication seemed to foster a resolution to many of the issues they encountered. From the stories presented, it was easy to recognize that a great deal of effort was extended by both partners to make these marriages work. Aside from those similarities, each relationship had its fine nuances and personal idiosyncrasies to make the couples' lives unique and interesting. show less

I needed something light and inspiring after a couple of disturbing books. This one hit the mark. There are so many that hit home. Of course, some were much better than others.

Stephen Ambrose quoted Eisenhower "never question another man's motives. His wisdom, yes, but not his motives."

Jeff Bezos quoted his grandfather, " You'll learn one day that it's much harder to be kind than clever."

David Boies quoted his wife to make the decision that you would want your child to make.

Barbara Bush," show more Give your children the best education, set an example and all the love in the world and independence."

Those are a few that hit me. Some of the stories hit more than the quote like Whoopi. Basically is was to be yourself. There are many essays that the person saying the right words said words of encouragement but there were also others that the person told them they couldn't do something and it affected them the opposite. I think the book was worth reading. Very uplifting stories from people of all walks of life. Politicians, actors, artists, journalists, etc. show less