"Allison and Gediman's newest omnibus highlights 75 more essays from the archives of the successful NPR program, a contemporary version of Edward Murrow's classic radio show. Culled from writers both legendary and previously unfamiliar, each essayist presents what he or she believes in 500 words. From Robin Baudier's tract on 'Strange Blessings,' detailing her experience living in her parents' FEMA trailer after the devastation of Katrina, to Michelle Gardner-Quinn's credo for 'upholding reverence for all life' (Quinn was tragically murdered after completing this essay) to Kim Phuc's essay on 'Forgiveness,' borne of her experience as that 'girl in the picture' running naked, napalm-burnt on a road near Saigon, each micro-essay stuns with its singular beauty, lucidity and humility. Icons like Helen Prejean, Studs Terkel and Elie Wiesel find estimable company in heretofore unknown writers who distill their individual truths with affecting sincerity and admirable aptitude." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Featuring contributions from 80 Americans--from the famous to the unknown--this series of insightful observations completes the thought that the book's title introduces. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they arrive at their own personal beliefs but also how they share them with others.

A welcome change from the sloganeering, political mudslinging and products of spin doctors.--The Philadelphia Inquirer

Based on the NPR series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty Americans--from the famous to the unknown--completing the thought that the book's title begins. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring many renowned contributors--including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike--the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk in Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on Rhode Island's parole board.

The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs--and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them--reveal the American spirit at its best.

Contents IntroductionJAY ALLISON  Finding the Strength to Fight Our Fears

TERRY AHWAL  I Will Take My Voice Back

QUIQUE AVILES  A Silent Night That Brought Healing

STEVE BANKO  Living with Integrity

BOB BARRET  The Strange Blessing That Brought Me Home

ROBIN BAUDIER  Returning to What’s Natural

AMELIA BAXTER-STOLTZFUS  The Right to Be Fully American

YASIR BILLOO  The Person I’m Supposed to Be

ANDY BLOWERS  Making It Up as I Go Along

ALICE BROCK  Sticking My Nose in the World’s Business

BRIGID DAULL BROCKWAY Teaching a Bad Dog New Tricks

DAVID BUETOW  The Learning Curve of Gratitude

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER  Failure Is a Good Thing

JON CARROLL  The Faith That Brings Me Peace

BETSY CHALMERS  The Person I Want to Bring into This World

LAURA SHIPLER CHICO  The Deeper Well of Memory

CHRISTINE CLEARY  A Marriage That’s Good Enough

CORINNE COLBERT  Creating Our Own Happiness

WAYNE COYNE  A Way to Honor Life

CORTNEY DAVIS  We Never Go Away

DENNIS DOWNEY  The Questions We Must Ask

TAMAR DUKE-COHAN  Learning True Tolerance

JOEL ENGARDIO  Doing Things My Own Way

BELA FLECK  Dancing All the Dances as Long as I Can

ROBERT FULGHUM

A Reverence for All Life

MICHELLE GARDNER-QUINN  A Feeling of Wildness

DAVID GESSNER  All the Joy the World Contains

JIMMIE DALE GILMORE  As I Grow Old

DAVID GREENBERGER  Untold Stories of Kindness

ERNESTO HAIBI  Peace Begins with One Person

IVORY HARLOW  Do What You Love

TONY HAWK  Combating the Tyranny of the Positive Attitude

BARBARA HELD  My Husband Will Call Me Tomorrow

BECKY HERZ  The Tense Middle

ROALD HOFFMANN  Living in the Here and Now

JEFFREY HOLLENDER  Inner Strength from Desperate Times

JAKE HOVENDEN  Becoming a Parent Is a Gift

CHRIS HUNTINGTON  Finding Redemption Through Acceptance

INTERROGATOR  Paying Attention to the Silver Lining

ANNALIESE JAKIMIDES  There Is No Blame; There Is Only Love

ANN KARASINSKI  The Universe Is Conspiring to Help Us

KEVIN KELLY  We All Need Mending

SUSAN COOKE KITTREDGE  Telling Kids the Whole Truth

MARTHA LEATHE  Every Person Is Precious

ISABEL LEGARDA  Navigating Turbulent Waters

JIMMY LIAO  All Beings Are Interconnected

JAMES LONEY  A Musician of Many Cultures

YO-YO MA  Being Content with Myself

KAMAAL MAJEED  Be Cool

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE  That Old Piece of Cloth

FRANK MILLER  My Home Is New Orleans

MIKE MILLER  That Golden Rule Thing

CRAIG NEWMARK  My Personal Leap of Faith

BILL NUNAN  Admittance to a Better Life

MICHAEL OATMAN  Living What You Do Every Day

YOLANDA O’BANNON  The Long Road to Forgiveness

KIM PHUC  The Practice of Slowing Down

PHIL POWERS  Living My Prayer

SISTER HELEN PREJEAN  The Chance to Move Forward

MARIA MAYO ROBBINS  Utterly Humbled by Mystery

FATHER RICHARD ROHR  I Always Have a Choice

CATHERINE ROYCE  I Am Not My Body

LISA SANDIN  Resilience Is a Gift

JOEL SCHMIDT  The Designated Celebrator

MELINDA SHOAF  Baking by Senses and Memories

EMILY SMITH  Learning to Trust My Intuition

CYNTHIA SOMMER  An Optimistic View of the World

DAN TANI  Community in Action

STUDS TERKEL  Music Makes Me Come Alive

JOAN TOWER  God Is God Because He Remembers

ELIE WIESEL  The Guts to Keep Going

AMY LYLES WILSON  Freeing Myself Through Forgiveness

YOLANDA YOUNG  A Potential for Brutality

YINONG YOUNG-XU  A Duty to Family, Heritage, and Country

YING YING YU  We’re All Different in Our Own Ways

JOSHUA YUCHASZ  Afterword

DAN GEDIMAN  APPENDIX A:

How to Write Your Own This I Believe Essay  APPENDIX B:

How to Use This I Believe in Your Community  Acknowledgments  Reading Group Guide