The Book

Alicia Keys, Jeff Bridges, Sheryl Crow, Steve Nash, Ringo Starr, Anna Kendrick, Ray Bradbury, BB King, Brad Meltzer… Ask these A-listers what they’re thankful for and their answers might surprise you.

Who’s grateful for surviving cancer, for being called an SOB by W.C. Fields, for dancing with child soldiers in Uganda, for the unexpected romantic advances of Bo Derek, for the anonymity afforded by online gaming, for the ability to transform overwhelming grief into one of literature’s most indelible characters, for mint-chip ice cream, for being an eleventh-hour obstetrician in a third-world country, for wearing pajamas to the White House, for the pleasures of Calamansi juice?

The answers are in On Gratitude: Sheryl Crow, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Keys, Daryl Hall, Ray Bradbury, Anna Kendrick, B.B. King, Elmore Leonard, Deepak Chopra, and 42 More Celebrities Share What They’re Most Thankful For.

With candid anecdotes, illuminating stories, and exhilarating words of wisdom, major celebrities and public figures like musicians Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl; authors John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, Elmore Leonard, and Nikki Giovanni; film personalities like Morgan Freeman, Francis Ford Coppola, David Lynch, and Ricky Gervais; as well as beloved athletes, artists, politicians, and spiritual leaders sharing their inspirations, mantras, mentors, and breathtaking life’s experiences for the first time.

Also included in the book: Kristen Bell, Forest Whitaker, Adam McKay, comedian Steven Wright, NBA great Yao Ming, Deepak Chopra, Brad Meltzer, Neil Gaiman, and many more.

The stories they tell, the anecdotes of gratitude they reveal, are deeply personal and powerfully universal at once — offering an intimate glimpse into the spirits of some of our most celebrated celebrities and public figures, while also reminding us of the profound power of counting blessings in our own lives. What’s more, as Dr. Robert Emmons, UC Davis, and other experts in the field of positive psychology are discovering: tracking the wonder and beauty in our lives through gratitude lists and journals is actually, measurably good for our mental, physical, and psychological health, increasing our happiness set-point by up to 25%.

The beauty lives in the minutiae. The joy comes in the reflection. The gratitude comes in the storytelling. These are our superstars and heroes, our inspirations and cultural leaders. We have watched their triumphs and heartbreaks, their stunning ascents, crushing defeats, and miraculous resurrections on the silver screen, the sports arena, the world stage. You cannot read these interviews without being reminded of the great gift that is your own life.

ON GRATITUDE is a book for everyone, no matter their age, color, creed, or where they are on their spiritual path. For readers already spiritually attuned, the book is rich with affirmations, illuminating anecdotes, fresh insights, and great candor with which one might continue one’s journey. For the rest of us, ON GRATITUDE is a perfect place to start, a star-studded, conversational primer on how living a life of gratitude, even in our darkest hours, is essential.

Allow the heart-memories of our most powerful cultural presences to awaken you to the happiness and gratitude that already exist within your life.

Please return to this website often for gratitude updates, a weekly blog, sneak peeks of the book, giveaways, event listings, an interactive forum for expressing your own gratitude, the opportunity to share your good fortune with those in need, and much, much more.

 

So what are YOU grateful for?