LET'S FILL THIS WORLD WITH KINDNESS

Two dozen true stories encourage readers to choose kindness.

A brief discussion of the science of kindness, which touches on neurotransmitters and hormones, is followed by moving vignettes of real people responsible for extraordinary—or everyday but no less admirable—acts of goodwill. Some figures, like Harriet Tubman, will likely be familiar. Many others may be lesser known: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, who, in 1906 Germany, explained that love between two men should be just as accepted as that between a man and a woman. Sometimes, kindness determines the course of a life, as with Henri Durant, a Swiss merchant whose ideas helped launch the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement; other examples focus on a single moment, such as a German fighter pilot’s refusing to shoot down an enemy pilot in World War II. The kindness of ordinary people is celebrated, like that of the residents of Gander, Canada, who hosted passengers from planes grounded in the wake of 9/11, or the volunteers all over the world who provided help in the wake of a tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan. Each chapter is followed by three thought-provoking questions, potential discussion catalysts. A quick look at “kindness stars,” like scholar and poet Rumi and philosopher Martha Nussbaum, closes out the book. The profiles are well crafted with intriguing, often inspiring details. Realistic full-color illustrations add to the appeal.

Bravery, compassion, and initiative go hand in hand in these concise, compelling stories.