The New York Times Bestseller"A welcome change from the sloganeering, political mudslinging and products of spin doctors."—The Philadelphia Inquirera stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs—and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them—reveal the American spirit at its best.Based on the NPR series of the same name,

The new paperback in the bestselling series of inspiring personal philosophies.This collection of This I Believe essays gathers seventy-five essayists—ranging from famous to previously unknown—completing the thought that begins the book's title. With contributors who run the gamut from cellist Yo-Yo Ma, to professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, to ordinary folks like a diner waitress, an Iraq War veteran, a farmer, a new husband, and many others, This I ...

Based on the NPR series of the same name, This I Believe features 80 Americans—from the famous to the unknown—completing the thought that begins with the book's title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.Featuring a star-studded list of contributors that includes John McCain, Isabel Allende, and Colin Powell (as well as...

Cecile Gilmer explains how she found a loving family when her biological one failed her in "The People Who Love You When No One Else Will", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have a...

Professor and author Azar Nafisi remembers empathy from unexpected sources in "Mysterious Connections that Link Us Together", her contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at thei...

Deidre Sullivan describes the lessons she learned from her father's advice to "Always Go To The Funeral" for NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the ...

Astrophysicist and novelist Alan Lightman explains how the unknown fuels human creativity in "The Power of Mysteries," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own p...

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, historian Arnold Toynbee describes how relating to others, even when it causes us to suffer, makes us human, in "I Agree With A Pagan", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to r...

Professor of psychiatry Kay Redfield Jamison describes the power of intense emotions and temperaments in "The Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged Edges", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and h...

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, legendary modern dance and ballet choreographer Martha Graham describes for NPR’s This I Believe series what it means to be a dancer, "An Athlete of God".This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how ...

Greg Chapman describes the power of crafting his own story as a gay man from a conservative Baptist background in "A Journey Toward Acceptance and Love", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and h...

Psychologist Debbie Hall values the simple act of "being there" as a form of connection in "The Power of Presence," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own pers...