This I Believe II

Stemming from his successful radio show and the website where the show’s segments were archived, public radio broadcaster Jay Allison has compiled a series of anthologies. In the essay collection summarized here, This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2009), seventy-five stories are gathered from the 63,000 that have been featured on the NPR radio show. The essays in this volume come from a diverse variety of people: ranging from the famous to the previously unknown, young and old, and engaged in every walk of life. Each has written about five hundred words to answer the question, “What would you say in five hundred words to capture a core principle that guides your life?”

The essays are short, moving, and don’t shy away from descriptions of hardship, horrific experiences, tragedy, and other traumatic events in the lives of their authors. Rather than simply relying on clichéd beliefs that would result in faux-inspirational treacle, the writing tackles the events and circumstances that have led these essayists to their core belief systems. As Allison points out in his introduction, the goal of the show and the books that have come out of it is to “counter . . . divisiveness” and to “raise a flag for thoughtfulness” – trying to show to readers how someone could make meaning and glean lessons from what otherwise would be insurmountable challenges. Going through this book is meant to make readers ponder their own ideals and most fundamental truths.

Readers report that this second volume of the anthology series differs from the first in several ways: there are fewer big, famous names in the mix; there are more essays that focus on recent historical events such as the Iraq War or Hurricane Katrina rather than on events farther removed from our present; and there are more essays by young people, probably because the first volume has been assigned in schools and teens have been emulating the format and submitting their entries. As in the previous book, this volume ends with a set of instructions for how to write a “This I Believe” essay of your own.



A small sampling of the essays included in this volume follows.

First, here are a few of the recognizable and famous names. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma writes about how valuable he has found cultural diversity, interconnection, and cross-pollination – both in his music and in his life. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk recounts what it has been like to defy the pessimistic prognoses of teachers who predicted he wouldn’t amount to anything and go on to build a career out of skateboarding. Anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean describes how she has come to champion forgiveness even of the most heinous criminals by watching her own responses and actions. Author Robert Fulghum builds a metaphor out of dancing all the dances for as long as he can as a way of talking about making the most out of life. In his contribution, “God is God Because He Remembers,” historian and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel discusses the value of knowing, sharing, and passing on our collective history to avoid repeating its mistakes. Country singer and songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore explains how he has come to believe in generosity as his core principle. There are also essays from journalist Studs Turkel, chef Alice Brock from Alice's Restaurant, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

The essays from the less famous are not any less affecting. Pakistani-American Muslim attorney Yasir Billoo writes about the pain of being made to feel unwelcome in his own country in “The Right to Be Fully American.” In her piece, “The Faith That Brings Me Peace,” homemaker Betsy Chalmers explores her belief in marital faithfulness that has enabled her to remain committed to her thirty-year marriage to a convicted criminal who is still in prison. A poet who is also battling crack addiction writes about duality – the idea that one person can house more than one core identity. A self-admittedly selfish, mean, and unlovable single man describes coming to understand empathy and concern for others after having to learn to take care of his dog. After adopting a newborn from China, a new father discusses what fatherhood means to him. A woman whose family doesn’t always understand the lengths to which she goes to celebrate even the most minor milestones explains her belief in expressing her love for them through planning family gatherings. Other essays feature the voices of a diner waitress, an Iraq War veteran, a farmer, a new husband, and a fourteen-year-old boy, writing about topics such as forgiveness, personal integrity, and honoring life and change.