author_d_r_oestreicher's review
3.0
The Book of Joy by Douglas Abrams chronicles a week Abrams spent with Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. The book is a mixture of anecdotes and adulations with a smattering of science. This a wide-ranging and thought-provoking book on the topics of spirituality and happiness.
If you are familiar with self-help books that combine spirituality and science, you might not find anything new or interesting here. I found the author to be a self-obsessed fanboy (to spite the realization that that label should be an oxymoron).
For my detailed report: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-book-of-joy-by-douglas-abrams.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
If you are familiar with self-help books that combine spirituality and science, you might not find anything new or interesting here. I found the author to be a self-obsessed fanboy (to spite the realization that that label should be an oxymoron).
For my detailed report: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-book-of-joy-by-douglas-abrams.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
greml1n's review
5.0
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World is incredibly inspiring and a surprisingly beautiful book that everyone would benefit from reading. People have talked on end about the profoundness of what is said in this book, so I want to instead focus on another aspect I personally enjoyed even more, and that aspect is the friendship between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. These two incredibly influential men, both of whom are noble peace prize laureates, get together to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday, and immediately the chemistry between them is fantastic. As they say in the book, they are both very mischievous people, and watching them mess with each other and joke around in between sharing profound wisdom is very entertaining, and it makes the book not feel like it's dragging on at all.
Spoiler
The ending of the book, where the Dalai Lama and the archbishop say what they correctly assumed were their final goodbyes to each other, is heart-wrenching in all the best ways. The fact that these two spiritual leaders, who have been through the worst things imaginable, can still find so much room in their hearts for love and joy, is incredibly inspirational.Spoiler
zbraze's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
4.5
laedyred's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The friendship between these two men is incredible. Obviously the ideas explored are valuable and the practices at the end make it feel attainable. I do think, however, that there was a lot of repetition where deeper detail would be more useful. I enjoyed the story, I'm appreciative of their words, but I have to admit I wanted a bit more. I think this problem lies more with the editing. That being said, the "pillars" (as they refer to them) serve as fantastic goals to achieve better for yourself and others.
mamalemma's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really lovely book, detailing a week of conversations and musings between close friends the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the nature of joy — not happiness, which is fleeting and ephemeral — but lasting, deep joy. Joy can be felt even when suffering.
The book was somewhat rapturous in the beginning; it will delight you to think of these two men together, teasing each other, laughing at their frailties and humanity (the Dalai Lama has a cat that he claims can meditate with the best of them!), but the middle to near the end gets a little repetitive. The book ends strongly, though, on a how-to note, with meditations and/or prayers that you can do daily or for different situations. If you have meditated, especially guided meditations or done yoga, much of these will be very familiar. The book is absolutely worthwhile, though, and it’s dreamy to imagine a world in which everyone knows and acts on this material.
The book was somewhat rapturous in the beginning; it will delight you to think of these two men together, teasing each other, laughing at their frailties and humanity (the Dalai Lama has a cat that he claims can meditate with the best of them!), but the middle to near the end gets a little repetitive. The book ends strongly, though, on a how-to note, with meditations and/or prayers that you can do daily or for different situations. If you have meditated, especially guided meditations or done yoga, much of these will be very familiar. The book is absolutely worthwhile, though, and it’s dreamy to imagine a world in which everyone knows and acts on this material.