Susan Cain

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Michigan

How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole

The author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet reveals the power of a bittersweet, melancholic outlook on life, and why our culture has been so blind to its value. With her mega-bestseller Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now, she employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and the surprising lessons these states of mind teach us about creativity, compassion, leadership, spirituality, mortality and love. Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy when beholding beauty. It recognizes that light and dark, birth and death--bitter and sweet--are forever paired. A song in a minor key, an elegiac poem, or even a touching television commercial all can bring us to this sublime, even holy, state of mind--and, ultimately, to greater kinship with our fellow humans. But bittersweetness is not, as we tend to think, just a momentary feeling or event. It's also a way of being, a storied heritage. Our artistic and spiritual traditions--amplified by recent scientific and management research--teach us its power. Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain. If we don't acknowledge our own sorrows and longings, she says, we can end up inflicting them on others via abuse, domination, or neglect. But if we realize that all humans know--or will know--loss and suffering, we can turn toward each other. And we can learn to transform our own pain into creativity, transcendence, and connection. At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety, Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways.

Bittersweet

3877955b-4aee-4f59-b41e-dbca744fbcea-1

Eleanor Estes

No dust sleeve. Some wear on hardcover corners, otherwise, clean.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Texas

Wanda Petronski, a little Polish girl in an American school, is laughed at because she always wears a faded blue dress, until her classmates learn a lesson.

The Hundred Dresses

f652a903-0d1a-45fe-9e6a-ab52c8b86292-1

#hardcover #empathy #nonfiction #comics #henryjamesgarrett #thisbookwillmakeyoukinder

Florida

An Empathy Handbook

An I Weigh Book Club Pick
 
"I have been a fan of Henry's work for a long time and I'm excited for more people to see it." --Jameela Jamil 

From the creator of Drawings of Dogs, a warmly illustrated and thoughtful examination of empathy and the necessity of being kinder

The kindness we owe one another goes far beyond the everyday gestures of feeding someone else's parking meter--although it's important not to downplay those small acts. Kindness can also mean much more. In this timely, insightful guide, Henry James Garrett lays out the case for developing a strong, courageous, moral kindness, one that will help you fight cruelty and make the world a more empathetic place.

So, how could a book possibly make you kinder? It would need to answer two questions:

  *  Why are you kind at all? and,
  *  Why aren't you kinder?

In these pages, building on his academic studies in metaethics and using his signature-sweet animal cartoons, Henry James Garrett sets out to do just that, exploring the sources and the limitations of human empathy and the many ways, big and small, that we can work toward being our best and kindest selves for the people around us and the society we need to build.

This Book Will Make You Kinder

0336d628-0c11-4a72-8ebf-b20670e8a4ec-1

Rob Volpe

Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time

"Empathy is in short supply these days--and it's hurting us. But all is not lost. Just as physical workouts strengthen your body, there are ways to build up your empathy as well. In Tell Me More About That, brand strategist and thought leader Rob Volpe draws on his years conducting thousands of in-home interviews with everyday people to illustrate the 5 Steps to Empathy--the actions you can take to build a strong and reflexive empathy muscle."--

Tell Me More about That

235b6cd0-078c-4b56-8b3e-1d24e87e7bdc-1

Reading Harbor

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Nevada

Is karma real? "Seeking Human Kindness" is a compilation of 50 inspirational true short stories gathered from across the world. It explores the meaning of humanity. Each vignette focuses on a separate real life event told from perspective of those who experienced great and unexpected boons. Some received great acts of kindness in their moment of need or lent aid to one who needed it most. Their actions precipitated unforeseen events, even in some cases changing their life's direction. Authors were carefully chosen, based on those who had compelling stories to tell. They hail from multiple countries, diverse backgrounds, education, skillsets, life journeys, etc. They come together in this compilation to share their experiences in dealing with the life altering after effects of human kindness.

Seeking Human Kindness

e04dbc51-68b7-4d8d-9d94-fce0565be92e-0

Margery Cuyler

California

When a kindergarten class gets rowdy, Mrs. Ruler knows just what to do.

She's about to teach a new golden rule:
KINDNESS IS COOL!

Soon the entire class is doing so many good deeds that their kindness bulletin board barely fits their classroom!

From clearing the table after dinner, to helping the elderly, one kindergarten class is proving that kids really can make a difference.

Count along with Mrs. Ruler's class. Can all their good deeds really add up to 100 acts of kindness?

Acclaimed picture book author Margery Cuyler will inspire children of all ages to have a heart and save the world!

Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

56e8d3fe-9385-43ab-92c9-653ed91f5b27-1

Phillip Hoose

Hannah Hoose

The perfect tool to help inspire compassion in our world’s youth.” —Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist The 20th anniversary edition of the hilarious picture book that poses the classic conundrum: To squish or not to squish? With a meaningful message about the importance of caring for creatures big and small, this is a perfect gift for Earth Day. What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? That’s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. Originally a song by a father-daughter team, this suprising conversation between a tiny ant and a little girl is bound to inspire important discussions about caring, kindness and respect for both animals and humans.

Hey, Little Ant

6fcbeedc-152e-4a58-82d4-efae33f5099f-1

New York

If you haven’t read the first Olive Kitteridge book, I have that for sale as well. 
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
An Oprah Book Club pick
Named one of the best books of the year

Maryland

A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions. “Strout managed to make me love this strange woman I’d never met, who I knew nothing about. What a terrific writer she is.”—Zadie Smith, The Guardian “Just as wonderful as the original . . . Olive, Again poignantly reminds us that empathy, a requirement for love, helps make life ‘not unhappy.’”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • Vanity Fair • Entertainment Weekly • BuzzFeed • Esquire • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • The New York Public Library • The Guardian • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly • BookPage Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is “a compelling life force” (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire us—in Strout’s words—“to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.” Praise for Olive, Again “Olive is a brilliant creation not only because of her eternal cantankerousness but because she’s as brutally candid with herself about her shortcomings as she is with others. Her honesty makes people strangely willing to confide in her, and the raw power of Ms. Strout’s writing comes from these unvarnished exchanges, in which characters reveal themselves in all of their sadness and badness and confusion. . . . The great, terrible mess of living is spilled out across the pages of this moving book. Ms. Strout may not have any answers for it, but she isn’t afraid of it either.”—The Wall Street Journal

Olive, Again

a15aaf08-f473-4449-99fb-17cb373e3241-1

Iowa

Oregon

Such a profound book.  I liked it as much as Quiet.

Minnesota

Jim Pierson

Joni Eareckson Tada

Kentucky

Grandaddy teaches Derek how to act appropriately around disabled persons.

Just Like Everybody Else

d812e256-c5dc-47a5-a3d7-2624bb74f47e-0

Sunil Yapa

One small tear in back cover, as pictured. Purchased from a Saint Paul book shop

Grief-stricken after his mother's death and three years of wandering the world, Victor is longing for a family and a sense of purpose. He believes he's found both when he returns home to Seattle only to be swept up in a massive protest. With young, biracial Victor on one side of the barricades and his estranged father -- the white chief of police -- on the opposite, the day descends into chaos, capturing in its confusion the activists, police, bystanders, and citizens from all around the world who'd arrived that day brimming with hope. By the day's end, they have all committed acts they never thought possible.

As heartbreaking as it is pulse-pounding, Yapa's virtuosic debut asks profound questions about the power of empathy in our hyper-connected modern world, and the limits of compassion, all while exploring how far we must go for family, for justice, and for love.

Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist

71a9b42f-284c-46a0-a1f4-460a56109d94-1

Susan Verde

Kansas

A Book of Empathy

A child recognizes his own humanity, his capacity for doing harm and being harmed, his ability to feel joy and sadness, and his belief in hope and promise to keep learning.

I Am Human

e22e648a-b5e9-4cdb-a886-129c5bcb72ac-1

Elise Juska

Massachusetts

"Bursting with wise observations."-J. Courtney Sullivan, author of The Engagements and Maine "Gleams like a jewel."-The Philadelphia Inquirer "Stunning. . . Unique and unforgettable."-Glamour Hailed by Stewart O'Nan as "deft and tender" and as one of the best books of 2014 by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Elise Juska's THE BLESSINGS is an extraordinary novel about an ordinary family. The Blessings rally around one another in times of celebration and those of sorrow, coming together for departures and arrivals, while its members harbor private struggles and moments of personal joy. College student Abby ponders homesickness in her first semester away from her Philadelphia home, while her cousin Stephen commits a petty act of violence that takes a surprising turn, and their aunt Lauren faces a crisis in her storybook marriage she could never have foreseen. Through the lens of one unforgettable family, this beautifully moving novel explores how our families define us and how we shape them in return.

The Blessings

38f46c5c-f136-4199-9924-4d8eeda79729-1

David Owen

Upper left back corner tinny tiny bend. Not really noticeable 

Hearing in a Deafening World

The surprising science of hearing and the remarkable technologies that can help us hear better Our sense of hearing makes it easy to connect with the world and the people around us. The human system for processing sound is a biological marvel, an intricate assembly of delicate membranes, bones, receptor cells, and neurons. Yet many people take their ears for granted, abusing them with loud restaurants, rock concerts, and Q-tips. And then, eventually, most of us start to go deaf. Millions of Americans suffer from hearing loss. Faced with the cost and stigma of hearing aids, the natural human tendency is to do nothing and hope for the best, usually while pretending that nothing is wrong. In Volume Control, David Owen argues this inaction comes with a huge social cost. He demystifies the science of hearing while encouraging readers to get the treatment they need for hearing loss and protect the hearing they still have. Hearing aids are rapidly improving and becoming more versatile. Inexpensive high-tech substitutes are increasingly available, making it possible for more of us to boost our weakening ears without bankrupting ourselves. Relatively soon, physicians may be able to reverse losses that have always been considered irreversible. Even the insistent buzz of tinnitus may soon yield to relatively simple treatments and techniques. With wit and clarity, Owen explores the incredible possibilities of technologically assisted hearing. And he proves that ears, whether they're working or not, are endlessly interesting.

Volume Control

1d61a73f-4d83-4b2a-937d-28f57747cbb9-1

Rafael Campo

A Doctor's Education in Empathy, Identity, and Desire

The healing powers of speech, of touch, of empathy, and the erotic, of love itself--these are some of the themes of Rafael Campo's deeply humanistic work, as he writes not just of his attempts to heal but also of how how patients have healed him, and of how often doctors may forget to include caring among their medicines for curing.

The Poetry of Healing

2641118f-0791-4438-8315-db1de552e527-0

Henry James Garrett

Limu the blue turtle

04b7ec0a-6661-44c7-b837-745c7ef092fb-1

Karen Kondazian

A Novel Inspired by the Story of Charley Parkhurst

The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her extraordinary life as a man. As a young woman in Rhode Island, she fell in love and had a child. Her husband was lynched and her baby killed. The destruction of her family drove her west to California, dressed as a man, to track down the murder. Charley became a renowned stagecoach driver. She killed a famous outlaw, had a secret love affair, and lived with a housekeeper who, unaware of her true sex, fell in love with her. Charley was the first woman to vote in America (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville, California.

The Whip

f0beb3bc-90fb-4662-b930-4dbf4559b048-1

Peter Bregman

Pennsylvania

How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 18 Minutes unlocks the secrets of highly successful leaders and pinpoints the missing ingredient that makes all the difference You have the opportunity to lead: to show up with confidence, connected to others, and committed to a purpose in a way that inspires others to follow. Maybe it’s in your workplace, or in your relationships, or simply in your own life. But great leadership—leadership that aligns teams, inspires action, and achieves results—is hard. And what makes it hard isn’t theoretical, it’s practical. It’s not about knowing what to say or do. It’s about whether you’re willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it. In other words, the most critical challenge of leadership is emotional courage. If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything. Leading with Emotional Courage, based on the author’s popular blogs for Harvard Business Review, provides practical, real-world advice for building your emotional courage muscle. Each short, easy to read chapter details a distinct step in this emotional “workout,” giving you grounded advice for handling the difficult situations without sacrificing professional ground. By building the courage to say the necessary but difficult things, you become a stronger leader and leave the “should’ves” behind. Theoretically, leadership is straightforward, but how many people actually lead? The gap between theory and practice is huge. Emotional courage is what bridges that gap. It’s what sets great leaders apart from the rest. It gets results. It cuts through the distractions, the noise, and the politics to solve problems and get things done. This book is packed with actionable steps you can take to start building these skills now. Have the courage to speak up when others remain silent Be stable and grounded in the face of uncertainty Respond productively to opposition without getting distracted Weather others’ anger without shutting down or getting defensive Leading with Emotional Courage coaches you to build your emotional courage, exercise it effectively, and create an environment in which people around you take accountability to get hard things done.

Leading with Emotional Courage

953ac356-9c9e-44dd-a1c0-4e6ef7fdacb0-0

Frans de Waal

Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society

From an internationally renowned authority on primatology and psychology comes a fascinating investigation of empathy in both humans and animals.

Browse by categories

Save this search

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Eleanor Estes

The Hundred Dresses

Henry James Garrett

This Book Will Make You Kinder

Rob Volpe

Tell Me More about That

Reading Harbor

Seeking Human Kindness

Margery Cuyler

Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

Phillip Hoose; Hannah Hoose

Hey, Little Ant

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Elizabeth Strout

Olive, Again

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Jim Pierson; Joni Eareckson Tada

Just Like Everybody Else

Sunil Yapa

Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist

Susan Verde

I Am Human

Elise Juska

The Blessings

David Owen

Volume Control

Rafael Campo

The Poetry of Healing

Henry James Garrett

This Book Will Make You Kinder

Kimo Armitage

Limu the blue turtle

Karen Kondazian

The Whip

Peter Bregman

Leading with Emotional Courage

Susan Cain

Bittersweet

Frans de Waal

The Age of Empathy