We Can Be Brave - by Mariann Edgar Budde

Book Synopsis

As seen on CNN's Amanpour, CBS Mornings, and MSNBC's Morning Joe!

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is no stranger to bravery in the face of bullies. In this adaptation of her New York Times bestselling How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, Bishop Budde and acclaimed novelist Bryan Bliss share lessons in how to learn to be brave in life's hardest moments.

The decisive moments in life--even in the life of a young person--are those pivot points when we're called on to push past our fears and act courageously in the face of injustice and bullying. In How We Learn to Be Brave, Bishop Mariann Budde shows readers examples of how to respond even in the toughest times. Bravery is not a singular occurrence; it's a journey that we can choose to undertake every day and it begins when we're young.

Budde explores the range of decisive moments people of all ages encounter, from the most visible and dramatic (the decision to go), to the internal and personal (the decision to stay), to brave choices made with an eye toward the future (the decision to start), those born of suffering (the decision to accept that which we did not choose), and those that come as surprises (the decision to step up to the plate). Drawing on examples relevant to young readers ranging from Harry Potter to Martin Luther King Jr., she weaves together personal experiences with stories from scripture, history, and pop culture of how adults and kids throughout history have faced these moments and heeded the call to be brave in challenging times.

Review Quotes

"Mariann Budde is an expert on speaking up."--Fast Company

"Readers approaching adulthood need the reassurance, hope, and bravery that Budde provides. A strong purchase for middle grade and teen collections."--School Library Journal

Praise for How We Learn to Be Brave by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

"With clarity, conviction, and a sure sense of the perils and the possibilities of the human condition, Bishop Mariann Budde has given us a great gift: A book that explores how God's children can stand up for the principles of His kingdom in a frail and fallen world. Courage, it has been said, is the most important virtue since it guarantees all the others, and Bishop Budde's searching account of her struggle to be brave is itself an act to be admired and absorbed."--Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America and And There Was Light

"In sharing her story and that of others who have faced real challenges with 'grit and grace, ' my good friend and fellow bishop Mariann Budde reminds us that extraordinary courage is possible for ordinary people. To help us she offers both the faith and the tools that make such courage possible for us."--The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way and The Power of Love

"It is easy to forget the simple, important dynamics of courageous leadership and living. Bishop Budde has given us all a thoughtful reminder."--Steve Leder, New York Times bestselling author of For You When I Am Gone

"Few people are willing to step into those decisive moments when their voices are needed most. I have always known that my friend and Bishop, Mariann Budde, is one of those few. Indeed, this book represents another of those moments for Bishop Budde. In it she shares her very human struggle to find the bravery and courage required to step into life's decisive moments. She does this so to inspire others to find their own. This book is itself a gift of brave and courageous leadership."--Kelly Brown Douglas, author of Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter

"Our world is a fragile, perilously fractious place. Each of us can contribute decisively to making it a good and noble place. My friend and colleague Bishop Mariann Budde readily admits that this takes courage. By sharing with us the very realistic trials and challenges of being brave, Mariann also points us along the path of growing in one of the most crucial virtues of our day. My friend Mariann inspires me. And her book will inspire you to stand up for the right and the true when it really counts."--Jake Owensby, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana; Chancellor of the University of the South; author of Looking for God in Messy Places

"Bishop Mariann Budde is one of the clarion voices of our time. In How We Learn to Be Brave, she shows that we all have courage to be great within us. Using vulnerability, deep insight, and enlightened spirituality, Bishop Budde invites us all to turn our decisive decisions into moments of profound meaning. This book will change many lives."--Bruce Feiler, New York Times bestselling author of Life Is in the Transitions and Walking the Bible

"Equal parts personal memoir, letter to a friend, motivating sermon, and collection of short stories, How We Learn To Be Brave is easy and enjoyable to read. It's Bishop Mariann Budde's uncensored honesty that lifts our spirit. At every turn, we learn being brave is found in one of us and all of us at the same time. Mariann says, "Hearing another person's courageous journey, we can't help but consider our own." I feel that, and you will, too, in the best way."--Kem Meyer, Communications Consultant and author of Less Chaos. Less Noise

About the Author

Mariann Edgar Budde is the bishop and spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., and the Washington National Cathedral. Prior to her election in 2011, she was a parish priest in Minneapolis for eighteen years. She has appeared on PBS NewsHour, Meet the Press, Good Morning America, and the Today show, among others. Bishop Budde earned her master's in divinity and doctor of ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary.