How Can I Help?

Stories and Reflections on Service

By: Paul Gorman, Ram Dass

Narrated by: Paul Brion

Not a day goes by without our being called upon to help one another - at home, at work, on the street, on the phone.... We do what we can. Yet so much comes up to complicate this natural response: "Will I have what it takes?" "How much is enough?" "How can I deal with suffering?" "And what really helps, anyway?"

In this practical helper's companion, the authors explore a path through these confusions and provide support and inspiration for us in our efforts as members of the helping professions, as volunteers, as community activists, or simply as friends and family trying to meet each other's needs. Here, too, are deeply moving personal accounts: A housewife brings zoo animals to lift the spirits of nursing home residents; a nun tends the wounded on the first night of the Nicaraguan revolution; a police officer talks a desperate father out of leaping from a roof with his child; a nurse allows an infant to spend its last moments of life in her arms rather than on a hospital machine.

From many such stories and the authors' reflections, we can find strength, clarity, and wisdom for those times when we are called on to care for one another. How Can I Help? reminds us just how much we have to give and how doing so can lead to some of the most joyous moments of our lives.

©1985 Ram Dass and Paul Gorman (P)2019 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A treasury of compassion, made all the more valuable by its many examples of how individuals can interact for the better with people and, indeed, the world around them." (Norman Cousins, author of Anatomy of an Illness)

The Caretaker Journey

Great insights and inspirations into the caretaker journey. A reminder of the power of mindfulness and selflessness.

Please Read!

This should be a part of the human curriculum! It reminds us of our true purpose and responsibility to one another!

Will read again!

This book reminds me, awakens something in me, and inspires me.

I will read this again if I start to forget.

Production Problems Plague Otherwise Engaging Content

This audiobook suffers from significant production issues that detract from the listening experience. The narrative structure alternates between the author's commentary and third-person stories presented from a first-person perspective. While this format would likely be clear in print, it becomes confusing and muddled in the audiobook without distinct transitions. The only indication of a chapter change is a brief spoken number, immediately followed by the next section. A more explicit announcement, such as "Chapter Six: A 76-year-old woman facing [situation]," would have provided much-needed context and mental preparation.

Similarly, the transition back from the stories to the author's narration lacks clear boundaries, leaving the listener to discern the shift on their own.

Further complicating matters is the narrator's performance. There's no discernible shift in voice to differentiate between the author's narration and the various characters within the third-person stories, not even when switching between male and female perspectives. Moreover, within the stories, dialogue between multiple characters is delivered in the same voice, making it difficult to follow who is speaking. It felt akin to listening to a stage play performed by a single individual reading all the parts.

While the performance wasn't completely devoid of inflection or emotion, the lack of vocal distinction between narrative elements and characters significantly hindered comprehension. It took a considerable portion of the book for me to even realize the stories were not the author's own. The first instance of a gender switch within a first-person story was particularly jarring and required a mental pause to understand what was happening.

narration lacks feeling

hard to follow due to narration. The stories of helping others blends together completely. I would be listening to a story and had no clue if it was new or whom it was about or whoms point of view it was. I had hoped for better.

concepts are still good of course. Narration is lacking gusto

Bravo!

I hope to listen to this bill more than once. It really calmed me down during a tough time. Teaches how to love and enjoy the ride of life. Thank you

what's the point?

incoherent; I get it is from different people but most of it is random with no order. No point; I'm confused the whole time as to what is the point trying to be giving. everything is vague. Only listened to this because my wife suggested only to find out she couldn't get through it. I feel I wasted my time listening to this.

Terrible Narration

I am trying to listen but the narration is so bad. No emotion, no ups and downs in the voice. Detached, reality robot-like. The book is great so such a shame.