Bright Shining - by Julia Baird (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable. But we live in an era when grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos in which we consume information dot the media landscape like skyscrapers, and our growing distrust of the media, politicians and public figures has choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another. So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? From award-winning journalist Julia Baird, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence, comes Bright Shining, a luminously beautiful, deeply insightful and most timely exploration of grace."--

Book Synopsis

'A powerful book from one of my favorite writers on something we all need more of...and could give more of.' -- Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy

"Luminous. . . . A work to both devour and savour, Baird has, once again, written a book the world needs now.'"-- Guardian

From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace.

Grace is hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favoring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.

Sadly, we live in an era when grace is increasingly rare. Our growing distrust of the media, politicians, and each other has choked our ability to trust, to accept, to allow for mistakes, to forgive.

What does grace look like in today's world, and how do we recognize it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? In this luminously beautiful, deeply insightful, and timely book, Baird explores the meaning of grace and how we can cut through negativity to find it today.

Review Quotes

"Julia Baird captures the very essence of grace. This is a life-giving book." - Katherine May, international bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

"Julia Baird's exploration of grace is a philosophical tour de force, touching the heart and challenging the mind. A wonderful book." - Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels and American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

"Australian journalist and broadcaster Baird follows her acclaimed memoir, Phosphorescence (2020), with this thoughtful investigation of grace, supplementing its traditional Christian definition (God's unmerited favor) and expanding it to our interpersonal interactions.... This beautiful work will resonate with fans of Anne Lamott and Shauna Niequist." - Booklist

"Beautifully written, brilliantly reasoned, and deeply moving, BRIGHT SHINING is a book that brings us face to face with our most bitter fears and conflicts--and then shows us a luminous, gentle way out of them. Julia Baird has a razor-sharp mind and unflinching commitment to justice.... BRIGHT SHINING is truly a book for our time." - Martha Beck, bestselling author of The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self

"Grace is hiding in plain sight, writes Baird (Phosphorescence) in this effervescent outing. . . . Baird's ability to find wonder in the everyday is especially poignant, as when she considers the donor who made a blood transfusion she received after a surgery possible: 'When I came to, I felt stronger, and I wondered whose blood it was that was now racing through my veins, injecting me with life.' Even cynics will be moved."

- Publishers Weekly

"The uplift and power of Bright Shining . . . is to be found in the way Baird gives grace fresh currency by bringing this beautiful and elusive condition from the theological margins into the mainstream and showing, with passion and verve, how quietly transformative it can be." - Sydney Morning Herald

"A powerful book from one of my favorite writers on something we all need more of...and could give more of." - Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy

"Julia Baird beautifully illustrates how grace, while not always easy, is necessary. In a world of ever-increasing polarization, Baird's Bright Shining lights a path toward seeing and honoring the humanity in each of us....Told with a deeply moving autobiographical vulnerability, Baird challenges us to be present and patient in our lives, lest we miss the wonder that grace bestows." - Monica C. Parker, bestselling author of The Power of Wonder