The personal philosophies of remarkable men and women
Forward: Studs Terkel
Edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
Genre: Inspiration
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8658-4
Intended Audience: Aged 14 and up, just because of the nature of the stories. Suitable for all ages, but under 14 might not fully understand or grasp the concept of ones belief or care to read about it.
Summary: The book is a collection of essays written by people who represent all walks of life. Every essay is between 350 and 500 words, and is the writers’ individual response to the statement: This I Believe. The book is based on the NPR series popular in the 1950s, and contains essays from the original series as well as new essays from figures today. From Albert Einstein to John McCain to Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller, every essay digs deep into the soul of the author’s beliefs, and makes you think about your own personal beliefs.
Review: I suggest everyone read this book one essay at a time, one day at a time. In order to truly digest each essay as an individual piece of work, they need to be pondered on for at least a day. You will find yourself thinking of the essays, and coming back to certain ones that stick out to you, and in order to absorb them all individually they need to be read separately. I love the concept of getting someone as famous as Bill Gates and a normal high school student and having them write an essay based on the same question and publishing them together to see the differences and similarities. This is something every person can do, and after reading, I think you’ll be inspired to write your own “This I Believe” essay.
Rating: 4 out of 5
so… what do you believe?