The Power of Kindness by Dr. Brian Goldman is the first book I've listened to by the author. It is narrated by the author himself. He did a great job with the narration. It was clear and engaging. The book talks a lot about incidents and important events that happened in the past. He traveled to places for his research about empathy. He even made himself an example. Dr. Goldman is in the healthcare industry and I got a good glimpse of how people are greatly affected by their profession on how they either become more empathetic or gradually lose empathy because of what the job entails.

The only thing I didn't like about the book is it focused more on narrating the events than the application of those events on the Power of Kindness or how empathy helps us in our day to day lives. It may sound so simple. Be kind. But there is definitely a thin line on being kind and being gullible. Or giving yourself too much to the point of burnout or resentment. I wish the author had explained more the application of the events he gave as examples to his kindness/empathy research. Decipher the events he used as examples in his research on the Power of Kindness.

I'm not new to this subject because I'm a big fan of Brene Brown. If you wanted a clearer picture about empathy, I would also suggest you also listen to her work. She did a great job in laying out all the results and conclusions of her research.

I recommend this book to people who wanted to understand how kindness/empathy makes a big difference in other people's lives. It also positively affects the person giving the kindness/empathy towards others. The book has some scientific research with lots of relevant examples, particularly the 9/11 attacks.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Bespeak Audio Editions, and author Dr. Brian Goldman for granting early access to the audiobook. All reviews are honest, voluntary, and my own.

The Power of Kindness: Why Empathy is Essential in Everyday Life </i> by Dr. Brian Goldman, chronicles the journey of a veteran emergency room physician, as he searches for empathy in those around him and, ultimately, himself.

I found this book to be an enlightening and inspiring read that expanded my knowledge of the various concepts related to empathy and kindness (ex. emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, and effective concern). The book highlighted the stories of many empathetic individuals who are revolutionizing their respective fields. Some of these stories include those of a Tim Horton's manager who credits his business success to his employment of those with disabilities, individuals using virtual reality technology to bring awareness to social issues such as Syrian refugees and the lasting impact of Indigenous residential schools, and healthcare professionals transforming the way seniors with dementia are treated using validation therapy.

The book was engaging and enjoyable to have read by Dr. Brian Goldman. The way in which he told his stories left me captivated. However, I found that the book did not meet the expectations that I had, as a reader, after viewing the cover and reading the book summary. I learned about how complex the concept of empathy can be, and how difficult it is to quantify. I was inspired by the stories of individuals who have let their empathy play a pivotal role in their lives, but I felt that the book highlighted the stories of extraordinary individuals and did not really address why empathy is essential to everyday life or how the average individual can foster that kind of behaviour. Overall, it was an excellent book, I just don't believe the book was marketed in a way that highlighted its many strengths.

I would like to thank NetGalley and ECW Press for my copy of this audiobook.

Are you a kind person? How do you know?

Through an epic journey that takes him all over the world, Dr. Brian Goldman seeks to find his own lost compassion by meeting the kindest and most empathetic people in the world. He meets incredible individuals including neuroscientists, researchers, a woman and the homeless poet she calls her soulmate, androids and their makers, a business owner who hires people with disabilities, a therapist who works with dementia patients, virtual reality storytellers, bartenders, and a teacher. The result is a collection of stories that uncover what empathy is, why some people seem to have more fit, and how we can cultivate it.

Dr. Brian Goldman, a veteran emergency physician in Toronto, has worked to demystify health care and confront medical mistakes to create a safer culture for patients throughout his illustrious career. He’s the host of the award-winning radio show “White Coat, Black Art,” and he’s worked as a health reporter, senior production executive, public speaker… all in the effort to improve medical culture and practice. He’s also the author and narrator of this book (among others).

His career alone speaks to his empathy and kindness. But Goldman starts this book questioning his own kindness: “I need to know why I can’t be kind more often. Was I born without the wiring inside my brain? Or did I have it and lose it?”

The question of “why can I be more [blank]?” is a relatable one. I got the sense that Goldman is a bit of a perfectionist… like me. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed the book: I was able to have empathy for him and his fears because of our similarities. See, through this book, I learned that who we empathize with is biased in favor of those who look and act like us. When we can find common ground with someone, we can have empathy for them. Some people are finding common ground when there appears to be none.

I have so many favorite parts of this book. Dr. Brian Goldman shares these stories with authenticity and personality. He grabs the reader and brings us along for the ride.

First, there’s the practical, yet compassionate plea for business owners to hire more people with disabilities from Mark Wafer, who at one time owned six Tim Hortons restaurants. Why? Because it just makes financial sense, according to him. As an American, I couldn’t help but tear up when Goldman met Mike Keane and Paul Mackin bartenders and co-owners of O’Haras Irish Pub, which has become the bar many cops and firefighters visit each 9/11 anniversary. Also, I loved the heartfelt and compassionate Shalla Monteiro who found her soulmate in Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho, a homeless poet. She admired him so much that she created a Facebook page for him to share his poems, and it went viral. In Japan, the acceptance of robots (uncommon in western culture) lead to human robot interaction solutions to the problem of Japan’s rapidly aging population. I was fascinated by the concept of sonzai-kan, which refers to the presence that is created by another human… or robot. Perhaps the woman who grabbed my heart the most was Naomi Feil, who developed a method of interacting with people suffering from dementia called Validation that has beautiful results.

To me, Goldman’s kindness was never in question. It was always right there, and so the conclusion of the book in all its simplicity just felt very natural. The audiobook was read by the author, and I always appreciate that in nonfiction. His narration style was engaging and vulnerable though still steeped in research and investigation. I loved reading this audiobook in the morning while getting ready. It was an excellent way to start my day on a positive note, and it inspired me to look for ways to be kinder in my everyday life.

If you’re like me and you love books with facts and stories and science that blow your mind, then pick this up! You will have tons of moments to geek out and share interesting facts with your friends. I’m not particularly science-inclined. So it was nice that there were very few—if any—moments in this book that went over my head. If you’re a little more knowledgable on these subjects, then I would imagine this is more of a primer and it could point you in the right direction to do further reading. This book offers an overview of the many kinds of empathy and what it can look like and do.

In the end, I felt a mix of optimism and inspiration. It’s encouraging to hear incredible stories of empathy, and I find I want to join in the work. I want to connect to others and be kinder. That’s a wonderful outcome for any book to achieve.

I expected a very different book than this is. I expected a book about being empathetic and why it's important to be empathetic. What actually happened was a book that did discuss several people who have affected the lives of others through their empathy but also a lot about science, mental health, and technology related to empathy. Not a bad thing, just different. And I did learn quite a bit so bonus!

I received the audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book is a collection of stories/ events encountered by Dr. Goldman around the theme of Kindness and empathy. The stories are interesting and intriguing. It would have been more interesting if Dr. Goldman related more stories from the ER. Thank you to NetGalley and Bespeak Audio Editions for giving me this opportunity to listen to and review this book. #NetGalley, #BespeakAudioEditions

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this book . Brian Goldman started out talking about my favorite subject...empathy and the brain. He broke it down to 3 different types of empathy, 1. Emotional empathy which people if they so have it...its encoded in their DNA. Psychopaths so not have Emotional empathy...but do have the 2nd kind 2. Cognitive empathy Psychopaths need to know if your afraid because that fear is what feeds them.
3. Affective concern is a situation where a firefighter might go into a burning building with no concern of his own safety but focus on safety of others.
The rest of the book was examples of people who were so very kind to others and made a huge impact on their lives. This was a very uplifting positive book.

💫 Book review 💫 ⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 by 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘯 ⁣
⁣
Not everyone will enjoy this. It’s definitely one that I listened to as a podcast and to learn more about myself. I’m forever a student. Learning with each book.⁣
⁣
The first takeaway: Sympathy is different from Empathy. And the different kinds of empathy:⁣
⁣
𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲: feel emotions of others . Which is baked in the DNA. It’s what motivates us to help others. ⁣
⁣
𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲: perspective taking. The ability to see something from that persons ⁣
perspective. I venture into assuming a lot of bibliophiles are in this category. It’s why we push ourselves to read anything: even stuff out of our comfort zone or books that hold triggering events in our own lives. ⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧: This is the motivation that you find teachers and firefighters in. Doctors could he lumped into here. Clearly I’m generalizing as not every profession has the same personality in it. But I think for the majority.. what makes a fireman walk into a fire when it’s not his or her family inside. Doctors scrambling to find cures for someone who shows up in their ER. ⁣
⁣
I find myself enjoying hearing some positives stories around the globe as the author introduces people who have shown kindness to others without expecting anything in return. One of my top stories was actually about a Tim hortons owner who hires young adults/adults who would have been deemed challenged somehow in the past but ended up being his strongest workers. ⁣
⁣
The stories will make your heart grow when all we hear is negative these days. Ps. Enjoyed the audiobook version. It “reads” like a podcast you can pick up whenever