Amazon.com: A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution (Audible Audio Edition): Marianne Williamson, Carrington MacDuffie, HarperAudio: Audible Audiobooks
In this stirring call to arms, the activist, spiritual leader, and New York Times best-selling author of the classic Return to Love confronts the cancerous politics of fear and divisiveness threatening the US today, urging all spiritually aware Americans to return to - and act out of - our deepest value: love.
America's story is one of great social achievement. From the abolitionists who fought to outlaw slavery, to the suffragettes who championed women's right to vote, to the civil rights proponents who battled segregation and institutionalized white supremacy, to the proponents of the women's movement and gay rights seeking equality for all, citizens for generations have risen up to fulfill the promise of our nation. Over the course of America's history, these activists have both embodied and enacted the nation's deepest values.
Today, America is once again is in turmoil. A spiritual cancer of fear threatens to undo the progress we have achieved. Discord and hatred are dissolving our communal bonds and undermining the spirit of social responsibility - the duty we feel toward one another. In this powerful spiritual manifesto, Marianne Williamson offers a tonic for this cultural malignancy.
She urges us to imitate the heroes of our past and live out our deepest spiritual commitment: where some have sown hatred, let us now sow love.
She urges us to imitate the heroes of our past and live out our deepest spiritual commitment: where some have sown hatred, let us now sow love.
Williamson argues that we must do more than respond to external political issues. We must address the deeper, internal causes that have led to this current dysfunction. We need a new, whole-person politics of love that stems not just from the head but from the heart, not just from intellectual understanding but from a genuine affection for one another.
By committing to love, we will make a meaningful contribution to the joyful, fierce, and disruptive energies that are rising at this critical point in time. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "we must think anew, and act anew...and then we shall save our country".
By committing to love, we will make a meaningful contribution to the joyful, fierce, and disruptive energies that are rising at this critical point in time. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "we must think anew, and act anew...and then we shall save our country".
Showing 1-10 of 11 reviews
Matthew Albracht
5.0 out of 5 starsHumanity would really blossom if every person in America read this remarkable book...April 23, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
If you feel hopeless about the state of politics and current affairs, or worried about how we are all getting along, there is so much in this book worth exploring. I was pretty blown away by it and really can't speak highly enough about it. The ideas within offer a powerful prescription for America and the world. While politics is a core theme,it also has a lot of heart and is really a roadmap for our collective lives as a common humanity. It speaks to much deeper themes about what it means to be alive and in relationship to one another. I got misty eyed many times, and felt the elation of possibility for what we can all do together — over and over. It’s both practical and inspiring.
I think this is one of Marianne’s best written and most inspiring books yet. In addition to the emotional and spiritual themes relating to the human condition, she writes about many of the hot button issues we face: immigration, climate change, the assault on democracy, racism, corporatocracy, the political divide, war and peace, and even Trump, among many other topics.
While she can be fierce in what she is calling out, throughout it all, she brings big heart, a lot of love and compassion. It’s a real blueprint for how we can make not only tangible changes, but how we can (and should!) be working together in deeper and more loving ways as we make the changes.
I wish that every person in America, and especially every politician, were required to read this book. If they did, humanity would really blossom. Go Marianne!
29 people found this helpful
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T Cleveland
5.0 out of 5 starsBuy this book, Love is the answer, in everything.April 30, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I just got this book, I have many of Marianne’s books, and have been to four of her small weekend retreats. I started reading yesterday, I had a hard time putting it down. The first chapter really is some of her best writing, on to three more and wow, everyone should read this book. I will settle back in tomorrow for another four or five chapters. I feel like she is speaking to me.
5 people found this helpful
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badger
5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant and insightfulApril 30, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book is written with deep insight and wisdom - an answer with depth for these times. As Marianne Williamson says: these are serious times and we need to go deep within ourselves and within the problems we are facing in order to respond.
4 people found this helpful
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Benjamin W. Decker
5.0 out of 5 starsMust ReadApril 29, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A powerful, inspiring book. Meaningful in every way. Something I wish every politician would read with an open heart and open mind.
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Anna from InannaWorks
5.0 out of 5 starsIs there hope for America?April 23, 2019
Format: Hardcover
I first heard Marianne Williamson speak at the Universalist Unitarian Church on the upper west side of Manhattan in the early 80’s. I paid $7 to sit on a folding metal chair in the church’s auditorium. She introduced me to A Course in Miracles. I was awe struck. I went back to see her almost every month after that for years. Having begun my own spiritual journey, I found that, a few weeks before she was due back in New York, I would be challenged with a dilemma that I couldn’t resolve. Always, at her evenings in that auditorium, I would receive the guidance that I needed to understand the issue I was being faced with. I felt like she was speaking just to me, yet I understood that everyone in the auditorium felt the same thing. It’s the miracle of A Course in Miracles, and Marianne’s gift.
It was a time when those of us living in metropolitan areas, and working in what are known as the “glamour” professions, suddenly started seeing people we knew and cared about start dropping dead for no explainable reason. It was the time when a disease which didn’t even have a name yet was changing everything and only a small group of people even admitted that it was happening. Marianne gave us a place to come together and share our fears and our grieving. She says of that time, “Unless you’ve been in a war zone, you can’t truly understand what those days were like.”
I remember the evening when she told us that her book, A Return to Love was about to be released. “If you’ve been coming to hear me speak,” she said, “you don’t need to buy it. You’ve already heard everything that’s in it.” And then she went on Oprah and she became famous.
When I went to hear her speak after Oprah, I watched the energy descend from above into the top of her head and out through her throat chakra to the audience. By then I was also a little skilled at the channeling thing, so I knew what I was looking at. She was perfect that night, in my opinion. She hit every note the “Invisible Helpers” sent through to her and every note connected to the audience perfectly. She was a perfect 10—and I was bored. I drifted away, only to revisit her at lengthy intervals to check in. Tears to Triumph was one of those reconnecting points. I loved it.
Now she’s running for president and has released A Politics of Love simultaneously. I tend to be a skeptic. But as I read A Politics of Love, I once again got an answer to a dilemma I was pondering. The answer this time is that there is no answer. There is only choice. We have come full circle. Do we choose love or do we choose fear? She spells it all out in the concise, powerfully-charged phrasing that is her trademark.
After all these years, her power is still also that she can be as self-effacing as she is inspirational. She tells us: “My mother used to say, ‘Count to ten before you speak.’ Sometimes I need to count fifteen.” And there was my answer: Count to fifteen. Thank you, Marianne, and I’d really loved to see you in the debates.
(InannaWorks.com received a free review copy of this book.)
18 people found this helpful
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Ken Barr
5.0 out of 5 starsA Truly Progressive & Transformative Platform For AmericaApril 27, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Marianne Williamson is the truly transformative candidate for President of The United States in the upcoming 2020 election. Her new book, "A Politics of Love," lays out the platform for her candidacy. It is nothing less than a progressive blueprint for rededicating this country towards the principles it is supposed to espouse. Ms. Williamson is swiftly becoming the one candidate who can offer the starkest contrast between the politics of we and us versus Donald Trump's politics of me and I. All voters owe it to themselves to read this book and go to Ms. Williamson's campaign website, Marianne2020.com and see for themselves what is possible for this nation.
12 people found this helpful
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C. Conley
5.0 out of 5 starsMagnificent!April 25, 2019
Format: Hardcover
Bravo, Marianne!! Beautiful words!
Powerful message! No other candidate has the answer.
It's all about LOVE. May we all join together and make LOVE the priority in our politics and daily lives.
Together we can witness miracles!
9 people found this helpful
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Henrietta Bertelsman
5.0 out of 5 starsA must read for every American...April 28, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Marianne very powerfully articulates how to move down the path to reclaim our democracy. It is a call to action for all of us to live from our Highest values and put the power of love to work. Love is the antithesis of fear which has been running the show too long. It’s time to name the root problems in our society and take radical action to fix them. Any other option is untenable.
6 people found this helpful
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B. Easter
5.0 out of 5 starsSoul StrentheningApril 27, 2019
Format: Hardcover
Thank you for this Marianne Williamson! So beautifully articulated and expressed! This book is a call to re-member in courage and strength the essence of our being as individuals and community! All Good things belong to us and I want to live and breathe this rather than defaulting to negative, critical or self righteous thoughts and actions. Thank you! Beth Easter
3 people found this helpful
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jaga
5.0 out of 5 starsCAN OUR POLITICS CHANGE?June 3, 2019
Format: Hardcover
So much disagreement, almost nobody seems happy with the status quo, even Trump supporting Republicans. The system is not working for many, including those who work hard and follow the rules. Many do not participate in our democracy at all. If we want things to change, we must participate and open our minds to different ideas and voices, regardless of where they come from. I’m an independent and not yet endorsing a candidate for the 2020 elections. Not for President, not for any other office. I have started to read about and listen to as many candidates as possible, study the issues, really consider who would best represent me, my family, my community, our country.
One of the candidates who I’ve been reading about / listening to is Marianne Williamson. Marianne’s bio describes her as a lecturer, activist and author. She has devoted most of her adult life to advocating for others and sharing her tremendous insight through her books, videos, lectures. I have read many of Marianne’s books and find her work incredibly insightful (see “A Return to Love” and “Healing the Soul of America”). She has a tremendous understanding of this country’s history, its mistakes (yes, we make mistakes!) and ideas about how we can heal as a nation.
In Marianne’s latest book, “A Politics of Love”, she addresses the current divisiveness in our politics and prescribes a new way forward. Marianne has a unique perspective on our challenges as a nation and she has garnered sufficient support to be eligible for the Dem debate stage. But even if the Dems don’t tweak the rules to knock out lesser known candidates like Marianne, it will be difficult to have her voice heard amongst so many. I encourage you to take a look for yourself. Marianne is willing to talk about things most will not (eg, reparations relating to slavery). I believe most of us are interested to hear new voices and to get the best ideas on the table. There are many people and forces in this country that seek to prevent this from happening, those that want to maintain the status quo or even turn back the clock.
Marianne has progressive views on healthcare, racial reconciliation, climate change and foreign policy. She believes that love, not hate, is what will truly change our politics. That we need to prioritize taking care of those less fortunate and wage peace instead of war (she has proposed new federal agencies devoted to peace and children). While these concepts may sound quaint or even strange today, they are not radical ideas. Historic figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Dwight Eisenhower talked about waging peace. And business titans like Bill Gates and Ray Dalio have said the current situation with wealth inequality and an insufficient social safety net are not sustainable. Marianne has been a champion of these ideas for decades and is now aiming to bring them more firmly into the national dialogue. Marianne’s views / ideas will resonate with many but not all. But if we put aside our preconceived notions about how things are and instead focus on what could be, we will see our current challenges in a new light. If we all participate and focus on what’s important to us, our families and communities, we can restore our democracy and contribute to the common good. We can’t expect things to get better if we follow the same old play book.
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Showing 1-9
Apr 14, 2019David Rickert rated it liked it
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
I obtained this book at a pretty good time for me, as I was getting discouraged about the direction our country was taking in terms of discourse and policies. I didn't believe that anyone cared how others acted as long as they got what they wanted, and I felt that it was time to demand more from our politicians in their conduct and character.
Williamson convincingly points out that our policies are determined by economic gain rather than concern for our fellow human beings. She rationalizes that a fighter jet is not worth the billions of dollars that it cost when we have a substantial number of children that don't know where their next meal comes from.
I found myself agreeing with much of what Williamson says, but I can't give it more than three stars because there is no way that a conservative would be convinced by any of it. She is unabashedly liberal and admits it, even relating an eye-opening experience with some Trump supporters, but this isn't a book that tries very hard to bridge the gaps between the two parties.
The message is: Republican policies bad; Democratic policies good. And while some who read this book will say, "Well, what's wrong with that? I agree with her." It seems like a missed opportunity to bridge the gap, ask some difficult questions, and try to find a common ground between both sides. (less)
I obtained this book at a pretty good time for me, as I was getting discouraged about the direction our country was taking in terms of discourse and policies. I didn't believe that anyone cared how others acted as long as they got what they wanted, and I felt that it was time to demand more from our politicians in their conduct and character.
Williamson convincingly points out that our policies are determined by economic gain rather than concern for our fellow human beings. She rationalizes that a fighter jet is not worth the billions of dollars that it cost when we have a substantial number of children that don't know where their next meal comes from.
I found myself agreeing with much of what Williamson says, but I can't give it more than three stars because there is no way that a conservative would be convinced by any of it. She is unabashedly liberal and admits it, even relating an eye-opening experience with some Trump supporters, but this isn't a book that tries very hard to bridge the gaps between the two parties.
The message is: Republican policies bad; Democratic policies good. And while some who read this book will say, "Well, what's wrong with that? I agree with her." It seems like a missed opportunity to bridge the gap, ask some difficult questions, and try to find a common ground between both sides. (less)
May 22, 2019MGMaudlin rated it it was amazing
Whether someone supports Marianne Williamson as a candidate or not, everyone needs this message of how we need to rediscover a politics of love, a politics that does not ignore our problems but faces them and commits to doing the right thing by solving them. She argues that what made America great in the past was when our politics was defined by love versus by fear or self-interest (civil rights, women's suffrage, even taken on Nazi Germany was done out of love for justice and peace). I wish all the candidates would read and quote from this book. (less)
May 18, 2019Liz Sergent rated it did not like it
I have loved Marianne Williamson for years, read her books and they always uplifted me and made me feel better. This one.....not so much, so bad I couldn't finish it. Maybe because it was political in nature. I get she doesn't like conservatives but lets try to meet in the middle. Ms. Williamson doesn't do that and basically there are so much out there to read, I didn't want to waste another second of my time on this liberal garbage. This country is so great because of our differences, too bad this author can't see that. (less)
Jun 03, 2019jaga rated it it was amazing
CAN OUR POLITICS CHANGE? So much disagreement, almost nobody seems happy with the status quo, even Trump supporting Republicans. The system is not working for many, including those who work hard and follow the rules. Many do not participate in our democracy at all. If we want things to change, we must participate and open our minds to different ideas and voices, regardless of where they come from. I’m an independent and not yet endorsing a candidate for the 2020 elections. Not for President, not for any other office. I have started to read about and listen to as many candidates as possible, study the issues, really consider who would best represent me, my family, my community, our country. One of the candidates who I’ve been reading about / listening to is Marianne Williamson. Marianne’s bio describes her as a lecturer, activist and author. She has devoted most of her adult life to advocating for others and sharing her tremendous insight through her books, videos, lectures. I have read many of Marianne’s books and find her work incredibly insightful (see “A Return to Love” and “Healing the Soul of America”). She has a tremendous understanding of this country’s history, its mistakes (yes, we make mistakes!) and ideas about how we can heal as a nation. In Marianne’s latest book, “A Politics of Love”, she addresses the current divisiveness in our politics and prescribes a new way forward. Marianne has a unique perspective on our challenges as a nation and she has garnered sufficient support to be eligible for the Dem debate stage. But even if the Dems don’t tweak the rules to knock out lesser known candidates like Marianne, it will be difficult to have her voice heard amongst so many. I encourage you to take a look for yourself. Marianne is willing to talk about things most will not (eg, reparations relating to slavery). I believe most of us are interested to hear new voices and to get the best ideas on the table. There are many people and forces in this country that seek to prevent this from happening, those that want to maintain the status quo or even turn back the clock. Marianne has progressive views on healthcare, racial reconciliation, climate change and foreign policy. She believes that love, not hate, is what will truly change our politics. That we need to prioritize taking care of those less fortunate and wage peace instead of war (she has proposed new federal agencies devoted to peace and children). While these concepts may sound quaint or even strange today, they are not radical ideas. Historic figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Dwight Eisenhower talked about waging peace. And business titans like Bill Gates and Ray Dalio have said the current situation with wealth inequality and an insufficient social safety net are not sustainable. Marianne has been a champion of these ideas for decades and is now aiming to bring them more firmly into the national dialogue. Marianne’s views / ideas will resonate with many but not all. But if we put aside our preconceived notions about how things are and instead focus on what could be, we will see our current challenges in a new light. If we all participate and focus on what’s important to us, our families and communities, we can restore our democracy and contribute to the common good. We can’t expect things to get better if we follow the same old play book. (less)
May 21, 2019Linda Shepherd rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: religion-and-politics, social-values
"A politics of love is bold because love is bold. A politics of love does not just ask what's expedient; it asks what is right, and then seeks to do it."
"Love is a wiser, more evolved, and more powerful modus operandi than fear, if our goal is to bequeath a habitable world to our children and our children's children."
She hits on everything that is wrong with America right now : the divisiveness, inequality of wealth, war vs peace, racism, islamophobia, anti-immigration in general. We need to listen to each other and not judge. We need to stand up for the oppressed.(less)
"Love is a wiser, more evolved, and more powerful modus operandi than fear, if our goal is to bequeath a habitable world to our children and our children's children."
She hits on everything that is wrong with America right now : the divisiveness, inequality of wealth, war vs peace, racism, islamophobia, anti-immigration in general. We need to listen to each other and not judge. We need to stand up for the oppressed.(less)
May 27, 2019Patricia rated it really liked it
I found this to present an interesting, intelligent and soulful perception of our current political atmosphere. A lot of food for thought.
Definitely worth the read. I'm a bit spoiled because I've gotten used to authors reading their own books - wish Marianne was reading... I guess running for president takes a lot of time ;)
May 16, 2019Mark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is a great view on another way to think! A great teacher!
