This book of kindness is so important, especially right now.

This book is filled with stories that highlight the best parts of people. It shows how very kind and good people can be, and it shows how much this kindness can positively impact someone's life. The storytellers remember the people who helped them, even years and years later.

This is a book that will hopefully remind people to help each other.

I love following Upworthy on Instagram, so when I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. Full of short stories of people helping, supporting, and loving others, it reminds you how much good is out there and how sometimes even the smallest act of kindness can change someone's life.

UPWORTHY GOOD PEOPLE by Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell hit the spot for me. It's refreshing, unique, inspiring, and heartening. After reading, I took a walk and overheard a woman telling a postal worker about how a stranger found her lost driver's license while she was traveling and returned it. It was a perfect real-life example of the book's message.

The stories in this book showcase the many ways we can support each other and create a more positive world. I'm impressed by the range and depth of examples. This book really reinforces the idea that there's inherent goodness in everyone.

This book is honestly exactly what you would expect it to be: full of happy wholesomeness.

The stories are well-written and come from a diverse selection of individuals. I laughed, I swooned, I cried.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Reading the short stories of this book was the best way to end the day! Although very different from most books I’ve read and loved, I didn’t devour this in one sitting. Due in part to the formatting of this book, I wanted to savor the happy little stories of Good People every night before drifting off to sleep.

This collection truly touched my heart. Some stories were light and funny, others a little deeper, but all ending with a glimpse of the beautiful, kind and compassionate parts of humanity that make it all worthwhile. Highly recommend keeping this book on your nightstand and sharing a copy with anyone that could use a little reminder of the “warm and fuzzy” that exists out in the world.

*Posted on Goodreads

With so much negativity sounding us, I lunged at the chance to read this book and haven’t stopped singing its praises! Thank you, thank you, thank you to National Geographic and the authors Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell for putting this life-affirming book together to show us proof that there are truly still good human beings around us!

“Upworthy Good People” is a compilation of 101 stories of hope, humor, love, courage, and inspiration. Despite what social media and the news tell us, there really are people out there who care, who are kind, and who simply display human decency on a daily basis.

One story in particular from Kelly S. really touched my heart. Kelly told her story about randomly crossing paths with a stranger in the COSTCO parking lot who instantly came to help her without being asked and showed genuine kindness without expecting anything in return. Kelly said the kindness of that stranger in that one moment gave her the courage to finally quit an awful job she had felt stuck in. Wow, right? After finishing the book, I made it a point to join this movement of human decency by keeping a gratitude journal, practicing more patience, compassion and kindness with strangers, and by remembering that I could be that one person who changes someone else’s life for the better.

I strongly recommend this book to every human from age 13 to 100. Not every story may hit home, but that’s not really the point. Without much effort, you should find at least one story that will strike a chord and stir a strong emotion that will cause you to think about yourself and how you treat others. It’s such a profound and inspiring book, that I find myself going back to it again and again for inspiration and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and National Geographic for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

UPWORTHY GOOD PEOPLE by Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell was exactly what I needed to read: bracing, original, motivating, uplifting...then I went for a long walk where a woman related to a postal worker the amazing route her driver's license took when a stranger found it while she was traveling. Long story short, happy ending, faith restored in the fundamental goodness in each one of us. Love, love, love the stories, the breadth and depth and variety of ways we can support one another and enjoy a happier world. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

4.5 stars

I was unfamiliar with Upworthy prior to this book. The cheerful cover caught my attention and made me interested in reading it. With all that is going on in the world today, we are inundated with bad news. I have been doing what I can to add positivity to my day, and this book is a perfect addition! I like how the book is separated into different categories. I love the fact that it is comprised of short entries, so it is easy to pick up and read a few of them here and there throughout the day. Many of the stories focus on the kindness of strangers, which is a great reminder that there are still good people, willing to help others, in the world, even though they are often overshadowed by other events. There are some stories that do have some topics that could be possibly triggering, so readers may want to approach this with a bit of caution. Overall, this is a much needed dose of positivity in today's society. It may just remind readers the importance of taking a few minutes out of their busy schedules to be kind to others, as it often costs nothing to do so.

This book intends to restore your faith in humanity, and it seems everyone could use a little help with that these days. If you have been around long enough to remember the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this is a bit reminiscent of those books. There are no fancy literary techniques here, just real-life stories told by the people who lived them, in their own words. All the stories are relatively short, but some are extremely short, while others are much longer. The shortest stories can be read in about a minute, while the longer ones might take closer to fifteen minutes or so for the average reader. Each section designates a theme for the stories collected therein, but all the stories remind us that there are still good people out there doing good in the world, and sometimes it is through the smallest gestures that leave a lifelong impact. I was inspired not only by the thoughtfulness of others but also by the lasting impacts that readers described experiencing following those random acts of kindness. If you need a little boost to your faith in humanity, you will find it here.

In a world that is often dark and full of negativity, Upworthy Good People is a collection of stories that will brighten anyone’s day.

This collection tells stories of real people and how other people brightened their day- from gestures big and small. The overall take away from this collection I got was that everyone can make a difference, and humanity is better as a whole when we put others before us.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a little light in their life, especially those who use to read the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

I enjoyed this book. I found it uplifting and adored the infused humor throughout the stories.
It made my heart happy. Today's news is so dreary and not well rounded.

I equate this book along the lines of the "Soup for Your Soul" books which were popular about ten years ago.

I was given an advanced readers copy and am not required to leave a positive review.

I received an ARC from National Geographic through NetGalley, and it is a book I will have on my nightstand because it was so nice to end my day reading a story, a few stories, ok many stories, and in the morning reading a few in the morning, I have less time in the morning, to start my day with positivity. I think my life has improved since reading this book and continuing to read it each day, as a reminder, that there are so many amazing people, total strangers sometimes, that knows just what is needed to be said or done, to make a difference in someone's life.
This book is short stories of special moments that someone has never forgotten or ever will. It is someone doing something kind or nice when someone else needed something to get them through what they were going through, a reminder a kind word, a smile, a word of praise or encouragement, can ignite the spark they used to have but lost along the way.
I know the last few years, I have lost sight of things, as I struggled through working, family, responsibilities, for me sometimes, it is like the world around me is full of chaos, and I can't think clearly. This book helped me get back to what I say is my center, that takes me out of the chaos, so I can think and see things clearly.g.
This book would be a wonderful coffee table book, a book on a nightstand, a gift for someone, a reminder that when someone is losing hope, don't lose hope because someone you might meet, or receive something that you need to help you through.

I used to read a lot of Chicken Soup for the Soul books. This is similar offering numerous short pieces about the encounters people have had with others who either made such a huge difference in their lives that they were propelled to change the direction of their life, or memorable accounts with strangers that made their day or encouraged them to pass it forward.

It's a good book for this period of time in our country where there is so divisiveness. You can't even look at the news these days without encountering something horrible that someone did. Imagine the possibility that a bit of kindness by someone may have changed the trajectory of another's life to the point where they might have not done what they did. .

I read this book in small pieces and spread it out over a few weeks. I actually came away energized and thinking more along the lines of trying to be more observant and see if I could also be more of a blessing in the lives of others.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! I appreciate the thought behind this book, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Maybe I'll give it another shot later.

I give the book 4.25 stars. I like short stories. I like more hope and positivity in the world. This book gives a heavy dose of the kindness of strangers.

The book is a quick read. The stories are super short. You don't need much time to read a story or two. All the stories are uplifting and give you hope in humanity.

The stories remind me of Readers Digest ( am I aging myself ?) or the Chicken Soup ( for the soul, etc. books). Some of the stories I can relate with. Others are so kind, that they really seem foreign to me.

The book is nice because some of the stories are pretty recent and some are from the 1980s and 1990s. It is interesting to see if technology is factored into the story ( or it is pretechnology days).

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this inspiring book. I look forward to reading more from Upworthy.

Heartwarming Short Stories About Kindness

SUMMARY
The world is still full of good people. UPWORTHY GOOD PEOPLE is the proof. It is 101 feel-good stories about the best of human nature and is published by National Geographic. Upworthy is a large inspirational social media site with millions of followers. The book's stories are curated from the best stories posted online, answering the fundamental questions: What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

REVIEW
A book about the lasting contribution of a stranger to someone’s life is a good concept. It’s a lot like the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. This would be a nice book club pick where members could share their favorite stories from the book and even share their own stories. My book club typically picks a book of short stories for our December meeting, and this book would be perfect for generating great conversation. It’s light and easy to read. UPWORTHY GOOD PEOPLE is a book that should be savored by reading it slowly. The stories are divided into six chapters, and I would have loved to see smaller chapters in the book for better stopping points and more of an introduction to the book.

Some of my favorite stories were the stories on travel, like the one about a young woman excited to be moving from her San Juan home to Pennsylvania for her first job after college. A gentleman on her flight helped her understand the Pennsylvania winters. Since it was snowing when she arrived and was not prepared, he bought her first-ever coat, gave her a pair of his socks, and made her change from her cute skirt into jeans. Or the story about the woman who lost her dog while visiting Ibiza, Spain, and the entire community helped search for her dog for 20 hours in a forest next to a busy highway.

I was unfamiliar with the Upworthy heart-warming social posts, but I am now linked in.
Thanks to Netgalley and National Geographic for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher National Geographic
Published September 3, 2024
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I really enjoyed this book. Uplifting and truly heartwarming, this book is a reminder of all the good that is out there among us. It also reminds us its the little things we do that make a difference. We should seek to help; lend a hand, give a kind word, share in grief. So many great stories that will renew your faith in mankind. Quick and easy to read, whether you read one story a day or many at a time.

I don’t describe myself as an optimist but more of a pro-noia believer - the belief that all people and the universe are wishing for really good things for me. This collection of stories supports those beliefs. A bit more rough edged than The Moth stories, they range from bikers helping moms to huggers doling out hugs wherever they’re needed to taxi drivers and mermaid buyers and a whole section on teachers and educators.
Some from long ago, and some from post-COVID world. All will restore or strengthen your faith in all of us and encourage you to do better and be better.

A whole book of what the founders of the Upworthy website have named the best of humanity as well as the best of the submissions to their site. For those who are not familiar with the website Upworthy, you may not have known what to expect as “the best of humanity”, however, as someone who is, I did know what to expect – stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Oddly enough though, as often as I view stuff from the site, I wasn’t aware that a book on Upworthy was being published until I saw it here on GR, while trolling the read list of GR friend, Valleri.

This is a book of stories of some incredible acts of kindness from total strangers, never to be heard of or seen again, that left indelible marks on the lives of the recipients of those acts of kindness. There are also tales of how some beloved person who made a significant contribution to one’s life for a very brief time was never forgotten. It reminds me of something that my grandmother used to say, “people will come in and out of your life for as long as you live. The key is understanding why and which ones to hold onto”. Sometime later, I remember hearing that poem, “people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime”, and was instantly reminded of my Grammy Jules and still am every time I hear it.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of the Upworthy website and its content then you will enjoy this book, which is supposedly the best of Upworthy. Even if you’re not familiar with the site, it’s a great book of heartwarming stories of amazing people. With all non-fiction books I read, I don’t rate the same as fiction, and I simply rate on the material provide and the manner in which it was provided. I’m looking at an overall 4.1 simply because I found the separation of parts kind of choppy and questioned the purpose of it. The material and content were, of course, wonderful. I want to thank NetGalley and National Geographic for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #NationalGeographic #Upworthy

This is a collection of true stories about the impact of kindness. These stories warmed my heart. A whole chapter was about children who felt alone until a teacher showed them kindness and inspired them to follow their dreams. Teachers really are the best of us. A few stories were uneventful and boring but the vast majority were wonderful. Read this to restore faith in humanity, especially with all the hate on the news and in social media.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.