Book Review: One Can Make a Difference

When a representative from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. approached me about reviewing Ingrid E. Newkirk’s latest book, One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World, I didn’t hesitate to answer with an enthusiastic ‘yes!’.

Ingrid Newkirk, did you say? But isn’t she the founder of PETA? What’s PETA have to do with mental health?

Well, PETA really has nothing to do with mental health, directly (unless you count that whole thing with the letter to Britney Spears’s parents, the brain scan they offered Sharon Stone, the occasional mention of a pet’s mental health and the mental health-related horrors captive and lab animals go through, and their information about animal hoarders and the mental health of animal abusers), but the book – rather, the messages within the book – could have everything to do with your mental health.

Within One Can Make a Difference are over 50 essays written by celebrities, activists, leaders, doctors, and private citizens. Well-known figures like the Dalai Lama, Kevin Bacon, Sean Astin, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Russell Simmons all contributed personal essays about some event, person, or spark of genius that prompted them to take action and make a difference in the world. Lesser-known individuals who could be your next door neighbors, your grocery store clerks, or your postmen shared the stories of how they stood up and took action to make differences in their communities.

I was very interested in Brigitte Bardot’s story of depression and attempted suicide, and how she wholeheartedly believes throwing herself into animal activism saved her life. I felt like I knew things about The Beatles that my mom doesn’t when I read Paul McCartney’s essay about how his father introduced him to the bass, music was a journey of self-discovery for him, and how he and John often accidentally discover chords that led to some of the world’s favorite songs.

Moby’s advice to be who we are all made of stars and to avoid taking ourselves too seriously is advice I’ve been known to dole out myself, and good ol’ Willie Nelson’s tale of how he became interested in and started promoting bio-fuel pleased me almost as much as his cover of Dave Matthews Band’s “Gravedigger.”

It’s inspiring to read the personal stories of people – famous or not – who’ve been struck with inspiration and said, “You know what? This is what I want to do. This is the difference I want to make. So, watch out.”

The essays of the well-known people show us just how these people came to be where they are, as well as how they’ve used their fame and fortune to positively impact the world, and the essays of the private citizens remind us that we don’t have to be rich and famous to make concrete, important changes.

Advocating for what we believe in feels good. Making positive changes, whether they influence the street we live on or the entire world, feels good. Not for selfish reasons, but because we are taking action to change something with which we didn’t agree. We are taking action to make our environment a better place for everyone.

I’d recommend One Can Make a Difference to everyone. I am recommending it to everyone. It’s a ridiculously easy read, and because it’s a compilation of many short essays (just a few pages long), it’s something you can read at your own leisure without losing your place or forgetting the plot.

I have a feeling the “plot” isn’t something you’ll soon forget, anyway.

For more information about One Can Make a Difference, including how you can order the book and even nominate someone you think has made a difference, visit PETA’s official One Can Make a Difference page.

If you’ve already read the book, feel free to let me know what you think about it in the comments. Or, if you’re currently one who is making a difference, feel free to share that, too!

Image: Amazon