Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm 

By Thich Nhat Hanh

176 pages

First published Jan. 1, 2012 by HarperOne

This was a Christmas book – a stocking stuffer that fit easily into my reindeer stocking hanging on the mantle. I put it in the bookcase where I keep books that have been given or recommended to me. Since it was a thin book, it was selected well ahead of others that have been in that bookcase for years. (Plus, it was given to me by a relative that was going to be asking, “So, did you read it? What did you think?”)

What I Liked About It 

* It’s wise.

* It’s poetic.

* It’s unpretentious.

* It’s a quick read. (Did I already say that?)

What I Didn’t Like So Much 

It’s replete with thoughts that, however wise, are so familiar that I thought it might have been better published as a Thought-of-the-Day calendar.

About the Author

According to the NYT, Thich Nhat Hanh “ranks second only to the Dalai Lama as the Buddhist leader with the most influence in the West.”

The jacket cover describes him as a “Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, scholar, peace activist, and one of the foremost spiritual leaders in the world – a gifted teacher who was once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr.”

And there’s this from Facebook, posted after Hanh’s death on Jan. 22 at the age of 95: “Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society. He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace. In the West, he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers, and countless others.”