Today the Book it Sisters reviewed The Anatomy of Peace:Resolving the Heart of Conflict by the Arbinger Institute
(Published July 2015, 288 pages)
Book it Sisters’ Grade
Like Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute’s first book, The Anatomy of Peace has become a worldwide phenomenon—not because of a media blitz, movie tie-in, or celebrity endorsement, but because readers have enthusiastically recommended it to colleagues, relatives, and friends.
The Anatomy of Peace asks, What if conflicts at home, conflicts at work, and conflicts in the world stem from the same root cause? What if we systematically misunderstand that cause? And what if, as a result, we unwittingly perpetuate the very problems we think we are trying to solve?
Through an intriguing story we learn how and why we contribute to the divisions and problems we blame on others and the surprising way that these problems can be solved. Yusuf al-Falah, an Arab, and Avi Rozen, a Jew, each lost his father at the hands of the other’s ethnic cousins. The Anatomy of Peace is the story of how they came together, how they help warring parents and children come together, and how we too can find our way out of the struggles that weigh us down.
This second edition includes new sections enabling readers to go deeper into the book’s key concepts; access to free digital study and discussion guides; and information about The Reconciliation Project, a highly successful global peace initiative based on concepts in The Anatomy of Peace.
Here is our report:
| Samantha Harrison | A | I liked the book because it made me think about my thought process and if I was assuming things about people because of their actions. I also liked the idea of not categorizing people but seeing them as individuals. |
| Mary Halsey | B | I appreciate the need to act on promptings to do the right thing as the book explained. Unfortunately, I still make bad choices but now recognize my errors when I start the justifying... |
| Suzanne Rigby | C | I only had a chance to read half of the book. I enjoyed the beginning but then felt it kind of bogged down with the theory of it all. I didn't feel like it was incredibly new information. It did drag it out too. |
| Cheryl Clowes | C | II think this book has a lot of insight. It made me think of things that I can change in my life and can think about in my life situations. Overall the book was slow but it did make me think. |
| Anna McDaniels | B | Interesting read. It gave me another approach on how to communicate. I thought it is difficult to implement in emotional situations, I thought the book simplified how to de-escalate those types of situations. My take-away was to see the person first, not our own agenda and also to follow your instincts in the favor of the positive- that you won't regret any kindnesses |
| Judy Bush | C+ | The concepts in the book, while sound, sounded pat and manufactured in a book format. It might have been an okay seminar, but was long and preachy in a book. It felt like a long drawn out advertisement to enroll in the Arbinger Institute and fix whatever is wrong with you. It didn't leave me with a peaceful heart. I was just glad it was finally over! |
| Silke Elsner | B | the language was too simple; appreciated the concept; how change can be accomplished was not explained enough |