I am not loving this book but I am enjoying it enough. I think this is a good book to read when you are feeling very mindful or actively practicing mindfulness, yoga, or some time of person growth activity. I don't think it's a very good book to just open and start reading. You have to really be paying attention. I wouldn't open this book when I get on the bus, or on a road trip. This is a book you really have to pay attention to. I would again advise readers to read when they are practicing mindfulness or even gratitude activities.

This was a refreshing book filled with nuggets of wisdom. I was most impressed by the simple chapters and concise manner the book was put together. It truly is a great rainy day afternoon kind of book, but not one I will be returning to again and again.

This is a sweet and well intentioned little book, "written as a love letter to those in pain." The author and his family fled violence in Vietnam and he wrote this book after being so upset about school shootings and other violence happening now. It's a very loving, soothing book but it is written not just to those in pain but those who are contemplating violence, and I just can't imagine someone who's considering shooting up a school being in the right headspace to stop and read a Buddhist book about how much they are loved and there is no death. It also just didn't get very deep. The chapters are all very short with large text and there wasn't really much that really made me think. I did greatly appreciate the book, but I'm not sure who will benefit the most from it.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I did not love this book - I expected to, because I love Thich Nhat Hanh and I know that Cuong Lu is a disciple of his. There wasn't anything NOT ok about the book, I just thought he could have delved so much deeper into the topic. Instead I felt it was a little pithy and therefore I couldn't connect. Also, I think that unlike a lot of Buddhist books, in this case you really have to believe what the author believes. For example, early on in the book he talks about how there IS no death -- and I just think this is going to hit someone wrong if someone they love has died. I know what he MEANS, but the way he says it as if it is a known fact for everyone just misses the mark.