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The Hidden Gifts of Helping

How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times
by Stephen G. Post
The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times. Jossey-Bass. Mar. 2011. c.208p. index. ISBN 9780470887813. $19.95. REL
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Post (preventive medicine; director, Ctr. for Medical Humanities, Stony Brook Univ.), president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, recommends, in his latest book, selflessness for selfish reasons—that is, he extols the health benefits of altruism not just for the receiver, but for the giver as well. Giving, claims Post, extends life span, relieves stress, improves mental health, and helps the heart.
VERDICT Post's work is a welcome antidote to the contracted thinking of a recession and should be welcomed by church groups and charitable organizations as well as Christian readers.
Reviewed by Graham Christian , Jan 01, 2011
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