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christiana's review against another edition
3.0
This book is kind of boring. The best part about it is the theory of 29 gift giving, which you can get from reading the book jacket. But! I'm really glad this book exists so that Cami can tell more people about the joy giving can bring into your life.
angmander's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book for a few reasons. I liked the idea of consciously putting oneself in a giving state of mind. I was also drawn to this book because the author had MS and I wanted to better understand that journey. The story was simple enough. This is definitely something I’d like to try in my own life.
viera's review against another edition
1.0
So this is that “Only giving to receive” mentality people talk about. I’ve seen women like this throwing tantrums at customer service counters but I’ve never read anything through their eyes before. It was unpleasant. This book is like a godless prosperity gospel. The author apes kindness but doesn’t quite manage to understand it as its own concept since she only does inconsequential tokens of kindness for others with herself as the true intended recipient. I did learn a lot about MS though. On that point I felt a lot of pity.
lisawhelpley's review against another edition
2.0
When I read this book, I thought - that's stuff I do all the time, I don't need to take a challenge to do good. There are much, much, better books out there about the benefits to an individual who participates in philanthropic activity, including books that talk about scientific research backing such claims. I do have to say: This author has done a good job of making a problem into a (profitable?) website, book, and merchandise franchise. The website has a boutique where you can buy stuff.
craftygoat's review against another edition
3.0
I got interested in this because the author has MS. My sister has MS, so I'd like to learn more about the challenges & feelings the disease can cause. I felt like the author gave a very honest view of her struggle, and so I liked that aspect of the book.
I've noticed in my life in the past that gratitude is a very powerful emotion, and I think that ties in with the experiment the author writes about here. When you focus on the positive things in your life, you'll notice more positive things. In much the same way, the book says that giving things away makes you feel worthy of receiving good things.
My takeaways from the book:
- It's important to record things: the gifts you give, as well as the things that come back to you. Be mindful of your journal & the gifts.
- Do daily meditation & affirmation. Think of things to be grateful for. Reflect on the tradition of giving in your family.
- Try to give something you think you can't live without, or something that feels scarce.
- We each have many gifts to offer the world.
I also liked this quote from page 15: "Gratitude keeps your heart open. When you give with an open heart, you receive the profound gift of humility."
There was a lot of stuff that was a little too far out there for me -- some of the voo-doo-sounding ceremonies, for example. And some of the attitudes in the book bothered me: I know the author was being honest about her emotional state, but the whining got old at times. And the male friend (sorry, forgot his name) seemed awfully what's-in-it-for-me focused. Perhaps it's supposed to show that giving can benefit regular folks, not just zen masters who normally write this kind of book. But it kinda bugged me. Maybe I prefer to read stuff from the zen masters.
I'm sure giving is positive, but I didn't come away from the book sold on the idea that I needed to follow some 29-day program.
I've noticed in my life in the past that gratitude is a very powerful emotion, and I think that ties in with the experiment the author writes about here. When you focus on the positive things in your life, you'll notice more positive things. In much the same way, the book says that giving things away makes you feel worthy of receiving good things.
My takeaways from the book:
- It's important to record things: the gifts you give, as well as the things that come back to you. Be mindful of your journal & the gifts.
- Do daily meditation & affirmation. Think of things to be grateful for. Reflect on the tradition of giving in your family.
- Try to give something you think you can't live without, or something that feels scarce.
- We each have many gifts to offer the world.
I also liked this quote from page 15: "Gratitude keeps your heart open. When you give with an open heart, you receive the profound gift of humility."
There was a lot of stuff that was a little too far out there for me -- some of the voo-doo-sounding ceremonies, for example. And some of the attitudes in the book bothered me: I know the author was being honest about her emotional state, but the whining got old at times. And the male friend (sorry, forgot his name) seemed awfully what's-in-it-for-me focused. Perhaps it's supposed to show that giving can benefit regular folks, not just zen masters who normally write this kind of book. But it kinda bugged me. Maybe I prefer to read stuff from the zen masters.
I'm sure giving is positive, but I didn't come away from the book sold on the idea that I needed to follow some 29-day program.
cathiedalziel's review against another edition
5.0
Re-reading because it's always good to have some light and inspiration in your life.
******************************
I did a lengthy review and then the internet swallowed it up.......
So quickly, this is a wonderful book. Read it.
It's about giving and receiving; it's about our emotions attached to giving gifts and receiving gifts from others.
******************************
I did a lengthy review and then the internet swallowed it up.......
So quickly, this is a wonderful book. Read it.
It's about giving and receiving; it's about our emotions attached to giving gifts and receiving gifts from others.
honeycoffeereads's review against another edition
5.0
Over the course of the summer after ten years of separation, I reconnected with an aunt and cousin who I hadn't been able to talk to nor find. During our reunion over the phone and through emails for the past several months, my cousin told me of his ordeal being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He is almost twenty years old (having been diagnosed in his teens), and me being on the other end of the country, have had difficulty understanding all that he went through. There are certain experiences that you can listen to with all your heart and support, but not experiencing it first hand somehow makes his condition a little more challenging to understand. Wanting to know more and understand deeper, I thought it was a good idea to seek more information about his condition through books (since it's one of my prime outlets).
I picked 29 Gifts by Cami Walker when I was on a search in my library one evening looking for a book that I could read over the holiday season - self-help and filled with lessons but wasn't overbearing, melodramatic nor gave you ideas but didn't explore any results for having to connect with others or fine-tune compassion. Taking the book home after reading the summary and label, I was struck immediately with Cami's story of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her twenties after she got married and the steps she took to try and manage her condition.
Immediately, I felt like I could better understand what my cousin went through and is going through, as well as connect with Cami's story of awareness and interconnectivity in the world. Given a principle by one of her spiritual teachers to share gifts with people over 29 days - 1 gift per person per day - Walker began a process of seeing how giving helped her condition and illuminated the world around her from strangers, friends, and family.
29 Gifts was an absolute heartfelt read - something I hadn't experienced in a very long time. It's a small book with a lot of profound truths. Walker tells the tale of each one of the gifts that she gave as well as some background on her childhood, her diagnosis, marriage, and personal relationships. She talks openly about how stress and overworking can manage to make people ill, especially with autoimmune disorders (something my cousin experienced growing up as a child that I was there firsthand to witness, monstrous negativity and abuse). And, she also explores how sharing and giving a piece of herself openly through financial donations, gifts of time, stories, and even small objects like a tissue for a grieving friend and a shoulder to cry on helped her focus less on what MS had stolen from her (the ability so far to have children) and more on what she has been gifted with. Having recovered from a previous substance abuse addiction, Walker shares how acupuncture, massages, and other alternatives such as getting off of subscription pills lessened her agony, and through her quest to manage her condition, she was filled with emotional and spiritual resources through her giving that she didn't unearth before.
At the conclusion of the book, I thought it was wonderful for Walker to include not only stories from the once-blossoming 29 gifts community (which was at the time that I checked it out online unavailable to view due to a server error), but also a letter by the spiritual teacher Mbali that inspired Walker on this journey. Her letter and the book give an eye-opening difference between giving in order to receive something in return, and giving from a place of selflessness. I used to favor that - like the Bible proverb - that your left hand should not knowing what your right hand is doing i.e. you should give anonymously and without the knowingness of doing something worthwhile. Walker's approach throughout the book is not to pat herself on the back for helping someone else but becoming more conscientious of her decision and actions, as well as becoming more aware of herself, her body, and the emotional/spiritual changes she experienced.
Overall, I think this is a delightful read for anyone who wishes to experience a look into not only someone who transformed their disease to work in their favor (for the most part) but also how easily gifting someone with something as small as compassion, time, or a few extra cents can have a large impact on the world. Walker's story not only inspired me to try her 29 gift challenge but also helped me understand more of what I had difficulty understanding with my cousin.
I picked 29 Gifts by Cami Walker when I was on a search in my library one evening looking for a book that I could read over the holiday season - self-help and filled with lessons but wasn't overbearing, melodramatic nor gave you ideas but didn't explore any results for having to connect with others or fine-tune compassion. Taking the book home after reading the summary and label, I was struck immediately with Cami's story of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her twenties after she got married and the steps she took to try and manage her condition.
Immediately, I felt like I could better understand what my cousin went through and is going through, as well as connect with Cami's story of awareness and interconnectivity in the world. Given a principle by one of her spiritual teachers to share gifts with people over 29 days - 1 gift per person per day - Walker began a process of seeing how giving helped her condition and illuminated the world around her from strangers, friends, and family.
29 Gifts was an absolute heartfelt read - something I hadn't experienced in a very long time. It's a small book with a lot of profound truths. Walker tells the tale of each one of the gifts that she gave as well as some background on her childhood, her diagnosis, marriage, and personal relationships. She talks openly about how stress and overworking can manage to make people ill, especially with autoimmune disorders (something my cousin experienced growing up as a child that I was there firsthand to witness, monstrous negativity and abuse). And, she also explores how sharing and giving a piece of herself openly through financial donations, gifts of time, stories, and even small objects like a tissue for a grieving friend and a shoulder to cry on helped her focus less on what MS had stolen from her (the ability so far to have children) and more on what she has been gifted with. Having recovered from a previous substance abuse addiction, Walker shares how acupuncture, massages, and other alternatives such as getting off of subscription pills lessened her agony, and through her quest to manage her condition, she was filled with emotional and spiritual resources through her giving that she didn't unearth before.
At the conclusion of the book, I thought it was wonderful for Walker to include not only stories from the once-blossoming 29 gifts community (which was at the time that I checked it out online unavailable to view due to a server error), but also a letter by the spiritual teacher Mbali that inspired Walker on this journey. Her letter and the book give an eye-opening difference between giving in order to receive something in return, and giving from a place of selflessness. I used to favor that - like the Bible proverb - that your left hand should not knowing what your right hand is doing i.e. you should give anonymously and without the knowingness of doing something worthwhile. Walker's approach throughout the book is not to pat herself on the back for helping someone else but becoming more conscientious of her decision and actions, as well as becoming more aware of herself, her body, and the emotional/spiritual changes she experienced.
Overall, I think this is a delightful read for anyone who wishes to experience a look into not only someone who transformed their disease to work in their favor (for the most part) but also how easily gifting someone with something as small as compassion, time, or a few extra cents can have a large impact on the world. Walker's story not only inspired me to try her 29 gift challenge but also helped me understand more of what I had difficulty understanding with my cousin.
wonderwoman619's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful book!!! Ii had heard of it last year when a friend was reading it. I never got the name or had much interest to read it at the time. Recently, a different friend of mine has been doing 28 kindness acts in honor of the Sandy Hook shootings. I mentioned the random acts of kindness to friend #1 and how I was also doing small things to help spread cheer too. She recommended I read 29 Gifts and lent the book to me. Now that you know why I read the book....here is my review :)
I love this book. The author's story in itself is so powerful and raw at times. The ideas behind 29 gifts is amazing and I loved taking the journey with Cami as she gave! I have since viewed her website and see another book is in the works! Yay! Will I do 29 gifts? Absolutely!
I love this book. The author's story in itself is so powerful and raw at times. The ideas behind 29 gifts is amazing and I loved taking the journey with Cami as she gave! I have since viewed her website and see another book is in the works! Yay! Will I do 29 gifts? Absolutely!
sterkaim's review against another edition
3.0
Exactly what I neede right now but some parts seemed a little contrived. Learned from it and gained some perspective on my own life and implementing what I learned. Worth a read and review.