I’ve covered several of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books on this site before. Most of those are from his How To series. I’m aiming to complete the whole collection for my personal library, and I’m starting to get fairly close now. I recently read through How to Connect, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. It embodies all of the reasons that I love picking this series up again and again, and even re-reading so frequently.

Summary:

In his How To series, Thich Nhat Hanh does an incredible job of taking enormous and complex topics and boiling them down in a way that feels remarkably accessible. It’s also known as The Mindfulness Essentials series. The author was a Buddhist monk, Zen master, and a world renowned peace activist. How to Connect is the installment that deals with connection as a whole. It “reminds us of our crucial need to connect to ourselves, each other, and our planet.” Like every other book in this series, it does an extraordinary job.

My Thoughts:

This is a series that I pick up time and time again to feel rejuvenated and capable of making change. The books are very short with only a few sentences to paragraphs per page. There are illustrations in between. It would probably be possible to read this book in under an hour, but it’s so lovely to have a chance to savor instead. Reading these books induces the feelings of deep meditation, especially if you take the time to reflect after each segment. I devoted an afternoon to this one, taking breaks after every few pages to process. By the end, I felt significantly lighter, energized, and more open.

While the author does make references to Buddhist practice and anecdotes, you don’t need to share a faith to feel inspired by his words. His work is always uplifting, and is especially helpful when the world feels dark and overly complicated. He had an unparalleled way of simplifying and illustrating paths toward positive change. I recommend every single book in this series, and right now How to Connect may be among the most important. More people reading and taking these sentiments to heart would be incredibly impactful. It may soothe much of the turmoil and unrest.

Our world is far from perfect, but it sure feels a lot closer to it when we can tackle its problems collaboratively with mutual respect and affection.

Content Warnings: Toxic Relationships, Abandonment, Estrangement, Neglect, Climate Change & Natural Disasters, War

After I Finished How to Connect

After breezing through a few short books that no one was waiting for me to finish, it was time to get back to the ARC list. The next one coming up for publication is actually one I have been very excited for. Even when I receive ARCs from this author at no cost to me, I inevitably end up buying special edition shelf trophies after the book comes out. Their last two books were young adult horror novels that I went absolutely feral for. This time, they’re taking their first stab at adult horror, and I think they’ve handled it phenomenally.

My next review will be for You Did Nothing Wrong by CG Drews.