A review by myhomextheroad
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Douglas Carlton Abrams, Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama XIV

5.0

Wonderful read. A delightful portrait of the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop's friendship, and portrays their respective views on compassion and joy clearly, with good comparisons to modern scientific research on the subjects discussed. While the writing gets a little repetitive at times, it could also be because I read the book very quickly – otherwise the repetition would serve as good reminders of points made in the previous sections. An easy read, and a worthwhile one for anyone interested in the lives of these two men, religion and spirituality in the modern age, or just the question of how to maintain a joyful life while being cognizant of and responsive to the suffering happening in the world today. I'm sure I'll be picking this book up again in times of stress.

(Also worth noting that it's just legitimately /funny./ Both the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama have great senses of humor, and one of my favorite parts of this book was just seeing the way they tease each other throughout.)