Douglas Carlton Abrams

A powerful, stirring yet utterly down-to-earth story with an unforgettable message about anger, compassion and forgiveness. Based on a true story from the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood, Desmond and the Very Mean Word depicts an incident in a South African town. While proudly riding his new bicycle, young Desmond is rudely insulted by some neighbourhood boys – and at first he responds angrily. But he's troubled to find that retaliation brings him no relief, and he can't stop thinking about the mean things the boys said to him. With the aid of the kindly Father Trevor, Desmond arrives at a better understanding of his feelings and learns that true forgiveness comes from within – and arises when you choose to regard all people with compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. A beautiful tale of forgiveness, as well as a lesson about how to handle bullying and feelings of anger, embarrassment and revenge, this is a vibrantly illustrated, deeply warm-hearted story.

Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity. The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet. From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others. Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life. Narration Credits: Douglas Carlton Abrams, read by the author Dalai Lama, read by Francois Chau Desmond Tutu, read by Peter Francis James

An instant New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies sold Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question. Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships--or, as they would say, because of them--they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering? They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy. This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecedented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye. We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy--from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.

An instant New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies sold Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question. Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships--or, as they would say, because of them--they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering? They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy. This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecedented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye. We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy--from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.

See below for English description. Cette histoire s'inspire d'une exp?rience v?cue par Desmond Tutu durant son enfance en Afrique du Sud et r?v?le le pouvoir des mots ainsi que le secret du pardon. Quand Desmond enfourche sa nouvelle bicyclette pour aller faire un tour, sa joie et sa fiert? se transforment en col?re lorsque des gar?ons lui crient un tr's vilain mot. Desmond ne pense plus qu'? ?a. ? Je vais me venger ?, lance-t-il. Mais la vengeance ne soulage pas Desmondien longtemps. Gr?ce aux bons conseils du p?re Trevor, il finira par d?couvrir ce qui peut l'apaiser. Gr?ce aux tr's belles illustrations d'A. G. Ford, cette histoire touchante ?voque la sagesse et apprend aux jeunes lecteurs comment r?agir face ? l'intimidation. Based on a true story from Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood in South Africa, Desmond and the Very Mean Word (Le courage de Desmond) reveals the power of words and the secret of forgiveness. When Desmond takes his new bicycle out for a ride through his neighborhood, his pride and joy turn to hurt and anger when a group of boys shout a very mean word at him. He first responds by shouting an insult, but soon discovers that fighting back with mean words doesn't make him feel any better. With the help of kindly Father Trevor, Desmond comes to understand his conflicted feelings and sees that all people deserve compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. Brought to vivid life in A. G. Ford's energetic illustrations, this heartfelt, relatable story conveys timeless wisdom about how to handle bullying and angry feelings, while seeing the good in everyone. Original Title: Desmond and the Very Mean Word

A powerful, stirring yet utterly down-to-earth story with an unforgettable message about anger, compassion and forgiveness. Based on a true story from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood, Desmond and the Very Mean Word depicts an incident in a South African town. While proudly riding his new bicycle, young Desmond is rudely insulted by some neighbourhood boys – and at first he responds angrily. But he's troubled to find that retaliation brings him no relief, and he can't stop thinking about the mean things the boys said to him. With the aid of the kindly Father Trevor, Desmond arrives at a better understanding of his feelings and learns that true forgiveness comes from within – and arises when you choose to regard all people with compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. A beautiful tale of forgiveness, as well as a lesson about how to handle bullying and angry feelings, this is a vibrantly illustrated, deeply warm-hearted story.

Available in a board book edition With warmth and humor, Archbishop Tutu distills his philosophy of unity and forgiveness for the very young. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has a vision of God's dream, which he shares here with the youngest of listeners. It involves people who reach out and hold each other's hands, but sometimes get angry and hurt each other -- and say they're sorry and forgive. It's a wish that everyone will see they are brothers and sisters, no matter their way of speaking to God, no matter the size of their nose or the shade of their skin. Aided by vibrant artwork evoking such images as a rainbow and a sharing circle, Tutu offers the essence of his ubuntu philosophy, a wisdom so clear and crystalline that even the smallest child can understand.