Grateful

The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks

By: Diana Butler Bass

Narrated by: Diana Butler Bass

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The author of the multiple award-winning Grounded and leading trend spotter in contemporary Christianity explores why gratitude is missing as a modern spiritual practice, offers practical suggestions for reclaiming it, and illuminates how the shared practice of gratitude can lead to greater connection with God, our world, and our own souls.

More and more people are finding God beyond the walls of traditional religious institutions, but these seekers often miss the church community itself, including its shared spiritual practices such as gratitude. While four out of five Americans have told pollsters they feel gratitude in their daily lives, cultural commentator and religion expert Diana Butler Bass finds that claim to be at odds with the discontent that permeates modern society.

There is a gap, she argues, between our desire to be grateful and our ability to behave gratefully - a divide that influences our understanding of morality, worship, and institutional religion itself. In Grateful, Bass challenges listeners to think about the impact gratitude has in our spiritual lives and encourages them to make gratitude a "difficult and much-needed spiritual practice for our personal lives and to make a better world".

Gratitude is partially an individual, emotional response to our circumstances, but research has shown that what we often miss is how much more it is a communal, actionable response. Bass examines this more unexpected experience of gratitude and reveals how people and communities can practice it and thrive, whether or not they are part of a traditional religious community.

©2018 Diana Butler Bass (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

author is articulate

much narrative, less directive, for others. However, author deep introspection and personal journey revealed clearly.

Gratefulness rethinking

I was engaged with a provocative rethinking of how grateful lives are worth exploring for a more satisfying life!

Making America grateful again indeed

In the midst of all things, we can be and are challenged to be grateful.

Living the life of gratitude and gratefulness

I completed listening to this latest book by Diana Butler Bass. I believe that this is the best book she has written so far. The book is well researched and written from the grateful heart of the author. She reads her own book, so you can tell that this book comes from her life and her heart. Keep in mind this is a radical book. It is counter cultural. It is spiritual and a blessing. You don't necessarily need to be a Christian to live out this book. You don't have to start this book grateful but you will be inspired to live a life of thanksgiving. Listen and then read the book. Buy an extra copy and give it to a friend.

"Make America Grateful Again"

DBB's "Grateful" is just what I needed right now to help me recast may daily outlook from "here we go again" to "Gratitude"! I love the way Diana weaves each chapter together; I can hear the common thread running through the storyline of each reflection. Her raw honesty brings delight & just the right touch of humor! And the tag line above....well, you'll just have to read/listen "for the rest of the story".

Terrible!

Rambles incoherently. Sadly our group bought many copies for a study. We were all very disappointed. If church groups weren’t told to buy this book there would be zero sales
Written on a 6th grade level, I can’t believe she has a college degree,

Too much emphasis on author’s political view

This book is titled and advertised as if to give readers a new perspective on grateful life. Even though it does that for the most part, the author’s discontent regarding Trump presidency surfaces too frequently and strongly undermining the overall message of the book. This seems irrelevant to me and misleads from how the book is titled and advertised. Author should refrain from expressing such views when it is clear that it is not how the book will be represented to the prospective readers. If that’s what she wants to write about, write another book and title and advertise it accordingly. Author’s tempo in narrating the book is also slow and unimpressive.