This is worth reading. ( )

I enjoyed the book because some of the thoughts he had made me really think about my life and those around me. ( )

I am a reader of the "This I believe" genre, and so I undertook reading Gordon Livingston's 30 pearls of wisdom. Early on I found myself enjoying his unique perspective as a Vietnam vet and dissenter, psychiatrist, and parent who suffered the loss of two children, one by suicide and one who succumbed to leukemia. Later as the author wound his way through life's events offering up his beliefs on each, his wise-pater tone gave way to a grand-paternal ranting tone. Looking back at the cover, I recognized the ranting tone is present in the title. I disliked this tone and felt it makes the conveying of wisdom less effective. Nevertheless, there is plenty of thought provoking wisdom here and a healthy rant can provide grating emphasis. ( )

Elizabeth Edwards's forward to this collection of short essays summed up how I felt about it perfectly:

"Gordon and I come from different worlds, and on many things we have different perspectives. Even when we disagree, as we do on some things--even matters covered in these essays--I appreciate that he has expressed so cogently his argument without the rancor and incivility that has come to mark so much of contemporary dialogue."

This book is a gentle admonition to be loving, courageous, patient, and forgiving. He writes with the wisdom that heartbreak brings (his two sons died within 13 months of one another, one from suicide, the other from cancer), and his grief lends him authority when he writes that full lives can be lived in the face of heartbreak and immense disappointment. ( )

What can I say but "Amen" ( )