Thanks a Thousand

A Gratitude Journey

By: A. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: A. J. Jacobs

Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The idea was deceptively simple: New York Times best-selling author A.J. Jacobs decided to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. The resulting journey takes him across the globe, transforms his life, and reveals secrets about how gratitude can make us all happier, more generous, and more connected.

Author A.J. Jacobs discovers that his coffee - and every other item in our lives - would not be possible without hundreds of people we usually take for granted: farmers, chemists, artists, presidents, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners, smugglers, and goatherds.

By thanking these people face-to-face, Jacobs finds some much-needed brightness in his life. Gratitude does not come naturally to Jacobs - his disposition is more Larry David than Tom Hanks - but he sets off on the journey on a dare from his son. And by the end, it’s clear to him scientific research on gratitude is true. Gratitude’s benefits are legion: It improves compassion, heals your body, and helps battle depression.

Jacobs gleans wisdom from vivid characters all over the globe, including the Minnesota miners who extract the iron that makes the steel used in coffee roasters, to the Madison Avenue marketers who captured his wandering attention for a moment, to the farmers in Colombia.

Along the way, Jacobs provides wonderful insights and useful tips, from how to focus on the hundreds of things that go right every day instead of the few that go wrong; how our culture overemphasizes the individual over the team; and how to practice the art of “savoring meditation” and fall asleep at night.

Thanks a Thousand is a reminder of the amazing interconnectedness of our world. It shows us how much we take for granted. It teaches us how gratitude can make our lives happier, kinder, and more impactful. And it will inspire us to follow our own “Gratitude Trails”.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 A. J. Jacobs (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Audio / TED

interesting read

Ive listened to many podcasts with a j on them. he will make you smile this is the first book of his I have read and it was good he is definitely a writerto keep an eye on. I am grateful for him writing this book!

not what i thought

this book is more about coffee than anything. no real directions on thankfulness after 2nd chapter.

Thank you for creating this story on coffee

Not all of these details were easy to hear. I was shaken to know heard much my coffee would cost by the cup if everyone involved in its creation was paid the American minimum wage. However, at the end of the day, this listen was worth it.

Meh

Sweet concept, but the actual text is a mixture of pointing out the obvious and liberal hand-wringing. Not much depth, but fine for listening to on a long drive.

Upset author extolled single use plastic lids.

The premise of the book is great, and I intend to finish it. I completely freaked out early in the book though, when the author praised and gave thanks for single use throwaway coffee cups and plastic lids. Does he live on another planet ? It is way not cool to do what he is doing every day. Mr. Jacobs' next book needs to be based on a year of living without single use items. (I am trying to, and it is very, very difficult). So, I give thanks that I live in a community, and have a group of friends, that are more thoughtful about careless habits.

Myopic

The author has gratitude for all in the chain except for the evil oil company executives who bring him his coffee. Perhaps he should learn something about how coffee is transported and a little about what bunker fuel is and it’s impact on the environment.

I don’t begrudge him his coffee but before throwing others under the bus he might consider his own complicity.

That said it’s a nice concept for a book and I liked most other things about it.

Fun journey, positive message

I have read a number of AJ Jacobs’ books, and normally rank them in the 3-4-star range. This was right in the middle - I would like to give it a 3.5, but since I can’t, I rounded up. The two underlying themes of gratitude and interconnectedness were well stated and resonated with me. however, compared to the treatment of these topics in some other books, this was fairly superficial. There were also times when I felt like the author was just filling space. Also, while the performance was adequate, he seemed to speak very slowly. (I suppose I could have sped up the audio...) Overall, I enjoy AJ Jacobs’ work, even if it has some weak areas. It’s generally a fun time.

Sound issues

great book as long as you don't use a Bluetooth device to listen. Bluetooth makes it sound like its skipping.

Light read with a lot of depth

AJ Jacobs did a marvelous job showing how everything in our world is so interconnected. The concept in an of itself is mind boggling, but he kept it concise, understandable, relatable, and applicable. My favorite aspect of this book is how it plants the seed to look for all the interconnectedness in my own life, as well as show how one seemingly mundane job is indispensable to the bigger picture. The book is uplifting and humbling at the same time.

FUCKING GREAT

I seriously love this book! It should be required reading (or listening) for everyone, especially kids (maybe high-school age?)