I picked this book up for free off a book table at a church we visited. I wasn't sure what the book was about or who Howard Thurman was, but I thought I'd give it a try. After all, the book had been free! By the second page I realized I was going to need to grab a pencil to do some serious underlining. The first thing I underlined was, "[This] reveals to what extent a religion that was born of a people acquainted with persecution and suffering has become the cornerstone of a civilization and of nations whose very position in modern life has too often been secured by a ruthless use of power applied to weak and defenseless peoples."
Howard Thurman wrote the book in 1949, but he could have written it today. Other than the fact that segregation is no longer lawful and Jim Crow laws are not in place, not much has changed. How sad is it that almost 70 years later there is still active discrimination and a ruthless use of power applied to weak and defenseless peoples. If you are of the privileged class and wonder why there are so many problems with race relations, riots against the police, etc., you need to read this book as it will give you some great insights into how oppressed people default to fear, deception, and hate. It shows how the privileged have created unfair situations due to their own fear and hate and how they use deception. If you are one of the disinherited and know what it's like to live in fear, to face hate every day, and to revert to deception to survive, you also need to read this book to understand the importance of leaving behind fear, hate, and deception.

Best of all, Thurman offers hope in living with Jesus as our example of love. Jesus was certainly the poorest of the poor living in a Jewish society dominated by the Pharisees and their endless laws and ruled over by the cruel Romans. Yet Jesus said to "love your enemy". I think we know that Jesus was perfect and forget that he struggled with temptation. He must have been tempted more than once to hate the Pharisees and the Romans. Jesus' love was not wimpy. True love takes fortitude and strength of character to carry out, but Thurman leaves us with the hope that love can change our society.

Personally, I think every American should read this book, or at least everyone who says they follow Jesus.