I really liked this. One thing bugged me a bit but overall the book made the kind of impact that has had me thinking a good week after finishing it. Presented as a nonfiction work, it seeks to help people see their role in negative interactions by finding a "peaceful heart" which allows them to see others with understanding and empathy. The lessons are right on and easy to grasp. The format is hugely readable as it is set in the framework of a kind of group encounter -- parents spending two days working with facilitators after dropping their addicted children off at a treatment center. The format is where the book excels and stumbles. By putting the points into a story, a narrative, it makes it infinitely readable and, in some ways, a page turner. The problem is, this isn't a real encounter group. It couldn't be, given the specificity of each character's inner voice. It may have been cobbled together from various counseling sessions but it is inherently unreal and therefore comes off feeling a bit staged. Nonetheless it mostly worked for me. I was going through a significantly negative event while reading it and I actually felt myself becoming calmer, breathing more deeply, just by taking it in. Bordering on Pop Pysch without being too saccharine, there were many take-aways with lasting impact. A short, worthwhile book.
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