It’s impossible to overestimate the joy that a simple act of kindness can bring to someone else’s life.
Just a smile from you can help someone else regain the composure they need to face the day ahead with new motivation and optimism. As a result, you can experience “the helper’s high,” a bounce-back effect that fills you with positive feelings.
Kindness contributes to your well-being and, ultimately, your happiness. And it’s absolutely contagious! If other people see you helping someone else, they’ll be filled with the same feelings, making it more likely that they’ll pay it forward. This is why I’m sharing five of the best books on random acts of kindness that you need to read and share with your friends.
1. Random Acts of Kindness: How to Make It a Better World
In 1995, a small group of people at Conari Press, including M.J. Ryan, Will Glennon, and Dawna Markova, came together around the idea that small gestures and simple acts can make a difference in people’s lives.
Thus, Random Acts of Kindness was born, but they had no idea how big this little idea would become. Soon, instead of the usual two or three letters from readers, they were getting bags of mail from readers submitting their own acts of kindness and stories of compassion.
Now, twenty-five years later, over one million copies have been sold and it is a worldwide movement, with National Random Acts of Kindness Week, celebrated each February.
2. Random Acts of Kindness
The true, inspiring tales in Random Acts of Kindness spotlight ordinary people from age nine to one hundred who have found unique ways to show compassion and make a difference.
Some of these stories will warm your heart and make you laugh; others will make you smile; and a few might make you cry—in a good way—with the joy of knowing there is so much goodness and generosity in the world.
From the author of the bestselling novel Good Sam (now a motion picture on Netflix worldwide) and award-winning journalist Rachel Greco, these uplifting stories will fill you with hope and gratitude, restore your spirit, and give you faith in the power of kindness to transform you and the world around you.
3. Random Acts of Kindness Then & Now: The 20th Anniversary of a Simple Idea That Changes Lives
The original Random Acts of Kindness had such a big impact on society, that it led Congress to declare a National Random Acts of Kindness Week in February 1995. It was even named USA Today’s Best Bet for Educators in 2000.
This new and improved motivational book contains those same stories of kind words and selfless acts–plus new ones fit for modern day readers. Boost your compassion, faith, and spirit. The stories, quotes, and suggestions in Random Acts of Kindness Then & Now are guaranteed to restore your faith in humanity, while healing your own spiritual wellness.
The spiritual connection shared between people is beautifully presented and explored in this book, compelling you to act and live in kindness and generosity. The book brings out the kind person in you that’s always been there.
4. Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness
Practicing kindness is an essential step in helping to repair a world that has grown to be more divisive, lonely, and anxious than ever. But with quotes like “Just be kind” or “Throw kindness around like confetti,” we’ve oversimplified what it takes to actually demonstrate kindness in a world crying out for it.
Deep Kindness pairs anecdotes with actions that can make real change in our own lives, the lives of others, and throughout the world. Diving into the types of kindness the world needs most today, this book takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to practice it well—and shows us how to put intention into action.
Exploring everything from the empathy gap to the skill of emotional regulation, Deep Kindness is perfect for anyone who believes in a kinder world and recognizes that there is a lot of work to do before we achieve it.
5. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and find a greater sense of connection with others. Our fear of intimacy—both with others and with ourselves—creates feelings of pain and longing. But these feelings can also awaken in us the desire for freedom and the willingness to take up the spiritual path.
In Lovingkindness, Sharon Salzberg, one of America’s leading spiritual teachers, shows us how the Buddhist path of lovingkindness can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. This practice of lovingkindness is revolutionary because it has the power to radically change our lives, helping us cultivate true happiness in ourselves and genuine compassion for others.
The Buddha described the nature of such a spiritual path as “the liberation of the heart, which is love.” The author draws on simple Buddhist teachings, wisdom stories from various traditions, guided meditation practices, and her own experience from twenty-five years of practice and teaching to illustrate how each one of us can cultivate love, compassion, joy, and equanimity—the four “heavenly abodes” of traditional Buddhism.
Complement this list of best books on random acts of kindness with our articles on 10 reasons why kindness is important in our lives and how to practice lovingkindness meditation.
I’m a freelance writer and mindfulness advocate behind this blog. What you see here is the combination of my three favorite things: reading, writing, and mindfulness. While you’re here, subscribe to my blog updates and gain access to free mindfulness resources for stress relief.
