Marc Ian Barasch, a friend of Greengrants, recently published a book that offers a glimpse into the underpinnings of the work we support. Barasch explores the better side of human nature and comes up with some encouraging ideas about why some people are driven to sacrifice their own ease and comfort to help make the world a better place.
Barasch is a great storyteller, reporting on the lives of people driven by compassion. Along the way he reveals our potential to be decent, and he challenges our assumptions about the trade-offs decency entails. Humorous and insightful, he gives the reader confidence to be optimistic about global prospects and about our ability to open up our own lives to the rewards of compassion.
Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness
ADVANCE PRAISE:
“In his excellent and penetrating work, Marc Barasch makes an argument for compassion that is balanced yet persuasive—and long overdue. This book ought to be a compulsory read for all.”
—ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
“Marc Barasch stands out as a bard of the human heart, spinning a gripping, thought-provoking, and entertaining tale as he explores the meandering paths of compassion. His book is an essential guide for anyone who cares deeply about the human condition, and about how we can help each other find our way through with love and guts.”
—DANIEL GOLEMAN, author of Emotional Intelligence
“If I had to pick one skill that was most important for a negotiator—meaning everyone everyday—it would be the ability to put yourself in the other side’s shoes. In this extraordinary book—part keenly observed reportage, part magical story-telling—Marc Barasch helps us understand why and how this might be so.”
—WILLIAM URY, co-author of Getting to Yes
“Field Notes on the Compassionate Life is a stupendous achievement, at once brilliant and touching, a superb work that delicately unravels the secret narrative of the heart. Everyone who reads this book will glimpse an internal map of kindness that Marc Barasch unfolds and displays with style, wit, and humor.”
—PAUL HAWKEN, author of Natural Capitalism