Anger

August 27, 2001
In an age of road rage, Americans would do well to cool down with prolific Buddhist monk Hanh (Living Buddha, Living Christ). There is plenty in this small volume worth skipping, such as Hanh's tedious call for "Healing the Wounded Child Within." And some of his advice is banal (e.g., if a husband is angry at his wife, he should tell her). But some of Hanh's suggestions cut refreshingly against the grain. He dissents, for example, from the popular therapeutic wisdom to "express our anger": when we beat a pillow to get rid of our feelings, he insists we are merely "rehearsing" our anger, not "reducing" it. Hanh reminds us that anger begins and ends with ourselves—we may feel that we are mad at our wife or son, but really we are the direct objects of our rage. Hanh doesn't limit his task to discussing anger between families and friends; he also deals with anger among countries and between citizens and governments. That expansive vision is not surprising (Hanh, after all, is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee) but it is refreshing, lifting this book out of the self-absorbed self-help pile. Like Hanh's other books, this is not weighed down with Buddhist terminology. The appendices, which contain meditations designed to help release anger, give it the specifically Buddhist spice that some readers will appreciate. The meat of the book, however, will be accessible to a broad, ecumenical audience.

October 15, 2001
"You cannot eat raw potatoes," charmingly states Nobel Peace Prize nominee and best-selling author Thich Nhat Hanh (Living Buddha, Living Christ). He then describes how the deep, compassionate "cooking" of anger can transform this emotion, allowing for greater personal and planetary peace. The Buddhist monk then addresses the causes of anger and suggests practical tools to embrace and heal it (e.g., 15-minute guided meditations and visualization exercises). Moreover, he teaches that the conscious, selective consumption of films, conversation, and food energizes us to become profound listeners, lessening the formation of habitual anger; he also asserts that, contrary to popular belief, physically venting anger is destructive in the long term because it "feeds the fire" and does not reach the roots of this emotion. To avoid possible misinterpretation of these teachings, the reader must first accept the idea that it is advantageous to become a deep listener in order to rescue a suffering person (a departure from 12-step thinking). Reminding us that small spiritual matters are really large spiritual matters, the author offers wisdom and serenity to comfort readers as they work through anger to a place of "being peace." Recommended for public libraries. Lisa Liquori, MLS, Syracuse, NY

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.