Learn More about the Book
2016 Books For A Better Life Award winner
Drawing on the latest research and remarkable tales of forgiveness from around the world, journalist Megan Feldman explores how forgiveness, when practiced in the right ways, can save lives, make us happier and healthier, and lead to a better world.
Veteran journalist Megan Feldman was still smarting over a bitter breakup when she began working on a feature article about a father named Azim who had truly forgiven the man who killed his son. She had found herself totally and completely unable to forgive her ex-boyfriend, and yet Azim had managed to forgive his own son s murderer. Forgiveness has long been touted by religious leaders as a moral imperative. But Megan wanted to know exactly what it means from a scientific perspective, and why forgiving those who have wronged you is one of the best things you can do for yourself. In Triumph of the Heart, Feldman embarks on a quest to understand this complex idea, drawing on the latest research showing that forgiveness can provide a range of health benefits, from relieving depression to decreasing high blood pressure.
The journey takes her from New Zealand and the Maori who practice their own form of restorative justice, to a principal in Baltimore who uses forgiveness techniques to eradicate violence in her school, and to recovered addicts who restarted their lives by seeking and receiving forgiveness. She travels to Rwanda to learn about forgiveness in the face of unthinkable atrocities. This book is a guide for how the practice of forgiveness can help us all in our search for a satisfying, fulfilling, good life.
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About the Book
Drawing on the latest research and remarkable tales of forgiveness from around the world, journalist Megan Feldman explores how forgiveness, when practiced in the right ways, can save lives, make us happier and healthier, and lead to a better world.
Veteran journalist Megan Feldman was still smarting over a bitter breakup when she began working on a feature article about a father named Azim who had truly forgiven the man who killed his son. She had found herself totally and completely unable to forgive her ex-boyfriend, and yet Azim had managed to forgive his own son s murderer. Forgiveness has long been touted by religious leaders as a moral imperative. But Megan wanted to know exactly what it means from a scientific perspective, and why forgiving those who have wronged you is one of the best things you can do for yourself. In "Triumph of the Heart," Feldman embarks on a quest to understand this complex idea, drawing on the latest research showing that forgiveness can provide a range of health benefits, from relieving depression to decreasing high blood pressure.
The journey takes her from New Zealand and the Maori who practice their own form of restorative justice, to a principal in Baltimore who uses forgiveness techniques to eradicate violence in her school, and to recovered addicts who restarted their lives by seeking and receiving forgiveness. She travels to Rwanda to learn about forgiveness in the face of unthinkable atrocities. This book is a guide for how the practice of forgiveness can help us all in our search for a satisfying, fulfilling, good life.
"
Review Quotes
1.
I believe that it is vital for us all both as individuals and as a society to think deeply about the question of forgiveness and its power to transform. I delight in the amount of research that Megan Feldman Bettencourt has done here, and I welcome her book as an important contribution to our ongoing cultural conversation about this important topic. I hope it will lead many to reconsider their anger, their bitterness, and their resentments.
Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of "Eat, Pray, Love"
With stirring stories and serious science, this eloquent book left me questioning my core beliefs about forgiveness.
" "Adam Grant, PhD, Wharton professor and "New York Times "bestselling author of "Give and Take
"
"Triumph of the Heart" skillfully explores forgiveness through many lenses. It is a compelling personal story interwoven withother narratives of forgiveness engagingly embedded in the research and science.
Fred Luskin, PhD, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and author of "Forgive for Good"
Bravo to Megan Feldman Bettencourt for making forgiveness more accessible, and thus the healing of the world more near.
Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of "A Return to Love"
Presenting scientific research alongside her own personal experiences, as well as fascinating insights into the stories and practices of others, Megan Feldman Bettencourt expertly demonstrates why forgiveness is so essential in our world today.
Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project
"From the Hardcover edition.""
2.
I believe that it is vital for us all both as individuals and as a society to think deeply about the question of forgiveness and its power to transform. I delight in the amount of research that Megan Feldman Bettencourt has done here, and I welcome her book as an important contribution to our ongoing cultural conversation about this important topic. I hope it will lead many to reconsider their anger, their bitterness, and their resentments.
Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love
With stirring stories and serious science, this eloquent book left me questioning my core beliefs about forgiveness.
Adam Grant, PhD, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take
Triumph of the Heart skillfully explores forgiveness through many lenses. It is a compelling personal story interwoven withother narratives of forgiveness engagingly embedded in the research and science.
Fred Luskin, PhD, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and author of Forgive for Good
Bravo to Megan Feldman Bettencourt for making forgiveness more accessible, and thus the healing of the world more near.
Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love
Presenting scientific research alongside her own personal experiences, as well as fascinating insights into the stories and practices of others, Megan Feldman Bettencourt expertly demonstrates why forgiveness is so essential in our world today.
Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project
From the Hardcover edition."
3.
2015 Favorite Book of UC Berkeley sGreater Good Science Center
Bettencourt recounts inspiring stories of forgiveness from around the world She encourages us all to do a better job of forgiving others for slights experienced in everyday life, by practicingmindfulness, empathy, and compromise in conflict situations.
The Greater Good Science Center
I believe that it is vital for us all both as individuals and as a society to think deeply about the question of forgiveness and its power to transform. I delight in the amount of research that Megan Feldman Bettencourt has done here, and I welcome her book as an important contribution to our ongoing cultural conversation about this important topic. I hope it will lead many to reconsider their anger, their bitterness, and their resentments.
Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love
With stirring stories and serious science, this eloquent book left me questioning my core beliefs about forgiveness.
Adam Grant, PhD, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take
Triumph of the Heart skillfully explores forgiveness through many lenses. It is a compelling personal story interwoven withother narratives of forgiveness engagingly embedded in the research and science.
Fred Luskin, PhD, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and author of Forgive for Good
Bravo to Megan Feldman Bettencourt for making forgiveness more accessible, and thus the healing of the world more near.
Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love
Presenting scientific research alongside her own personal experiences, as well as fascinating insights into the stories and practices of others, Megan Feldman Bettencourt expertly demonstrates why forgiveness is so essential in our world today.
Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project
From the Hardcover edition."
