Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty - 30th Anniversary Edition - by Anne Herbert & Margaret Paloma Pavel & Mayumi Oda (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"This exquisite book offers guidance to us all." -- Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

With beautifully crafted words and exuberant watercolor illustrations, Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty offers a poetic and empowering message for world peace. Recognizing "we are right on the edge of destroying ourselves," this modern allegory inspires taking joyful steps to end violence. It expands upon the idea that "we are all in the circle together," and presents a timeless parable for readers of all ages. The Haiku-like text delivers a call to "make a new earth grow beneath our feet."

In the playful style of 12th century Japanese picture scrolls, Mayumi Oda's art depicts humans as animals who lose their way when their leaders become confused and drawn to violence. It is up to each individual? The frog who plants a thriving garden, the cat who supports an elderly neighbor as they walk?to create a better world through simple acts of kindness. The message of this book is the sweet realization that each person can become an agent of goodness and beauty.

This thirtieth-anniversary, full-color edition, begins with the foreword by the late, venerable peacemaker Desmond Tutu.

Review Quotes

"It distills--in ordinary, inspired language--all we need to know right now in order to let our lives count in building a sustainable world. It tells us about the kind of power we each have right now to take a choice--and the delight that can be ours, if we are not afraid to seize it"--Joanna Macy, author, Buddhist scholar, environmental activist

"This exquisite book offers guidance to us all."--Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

"We are right on the edge of discovering millions of ways of coming together, being together, and moving forward together. . . Each of us has the power to create the change we want to bring about in the world."--Maria Shriver, journalist and author of I've Been Thinking...: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

"Wow! This book is amazing. The message is so important and relevant! I believe that we all have the power! I love the way this book sends this message of goodness to children. Children are the future and this book conveys HOPE! It is rich in language, thought provoking and positive."--Marla Conn, Common Core Curriculum Standards assessment specialist

About the Author

Anne Herbert (Editor)
Anne Herbert is perhaps best known for coining the phrases "Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" and "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you though times of no libraries." She was an American writer and past editor of CoEvolution Quarterly, a percursor to the Whole Earth Review.

Margaret Paloma Pavel (Editor)
Margaret Paloma Pavel is an international advocate of healthy, just, and resilient urban communities. She is founder and president of Earth House of Oakland, California, founder of the Eco-Justice film series in the San Francisco Bay Area, and editor of Breakthrough Communities: Sustainability and Justice in the Next American Metropolis. Dr. Pavel holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard University as well as degrees in psychology and economics.

Mayumi Oda (Editor)
Mayumi Oda, known to many as the "Matisse of Japan," has exhibited over 50 one-woman shows throughout the world. Her artwork is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Yale University Art Gallery; the Library of Congress; and many others. She has authored books about her own creative life, including Sarasvati's Gift, Goddesses, and I Opened the Gate Laughing. She has also illustrated several books for notable authors, including the esteemed Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In addition to her work as an artist, Oda has spent many years of her life as a global activist participating in anti-nuclear campaigns worldwide. She founded Plutonium Free Future in 1992, launched the WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday) Campaign in 1999.