The Heart of Goodness: A Radiant Path to a Richer, Fuller Life By Jo Ann Larsen Shadow Mountain, June 1999. Softcover: 528 pages. ISBN: 1-57345-226-2 Suggested retail price: $19.95 (US)
Reviewed by: Dallas Robbins

The Heart of Goodness by Jo Ann Larsen is her third published book to date, and the first in a projected trilogy of books. This book under discussion is about "man's relationship to his fellowmen," the next two will deal with "man's development of character -- that is, his relationship to himself," and "man's relationship to God and the universe." (p. 528). Larsen is a therapist and former professor of social work, she also is a "popular newspaper columnist and has appeared frequently on radio and televsion." This book is part of Deseret Book's new Shadow Mountain imprint, geared towards a non-LDS audience, this book will definitely pander to broad tastes

When I started reading this 528 page tome, I really wanted to enjoy it. But try as I might, it became burdensome and unbearable. It came across as a bloated merger of the "Chicken Soup For the Soul" franchise and Bruce C. Hafen's heart trilogy (The Believing Heart, The Broken Heart, and The Becoming Heart). The book is too long, meandering, unfocused, and overburdened with quotes, quotes, and more quotes.

It all starts off with a sincere innocence about goodness and the value of love. It's main thesis is stated in the beginning: "The natural response to do good comes from deep within an intangible soul, for goodness is inherent in the very spiritual material of which the soul is constructed. The soul, then, endowed at birth with an innate 'goodness response,' intuitively wants to emanate warmth and goodwill. But sadly, sometimes ill treatment, abuse, poor modeling, debilitating mood disorders, or other maladies exact a toll on a person's physical or mental well-being. Thus, the innate goodness of a person's soul so affected cannot rise to the surface or make its promising mark in the world." In this quote, I sense the purpose of the Shadow Mountain imprint; to recast Mormon language and terms in a more acceptable rhetoric for a larger book market. The light of Christ becomes the "goodness response," and sin becomes "other maladies." Throughout the book we encounter much therapist-speak masking Mormon doctrine. Is the author's real intent to preach the gospel, without using the word "gospel?" And if so, does it change the nature of the gospel to call it by another name? I really don't know. But if so, she joins other successful authors who have done the same, and made quite a personal fortune doing so (i.e. Stephen Covey and Bettie Eadie).

The book then goes on, divided into several chapters about the different aspects of a good heart: caring, giving, kindness, loving, and compassionate. Larsen assures us, "Goodness is God's success formula -- and he invites all of us to experience its amazing results." I felt like I was on the verge of an infomercial. Strangely enough, Larsen then swings to a mystical tone in the first chapter, "To move toward love is to open our soul to another human being and, at the soul level, to unabashedly expend energy from our deep interior to meet the needs of or to enrich the life of another. It is, in fact, through the flow of pure love from one soul to another that two people can come to feel profoundly connected to each other and experience a dual ascension of their souls." I felt like I was on the verge of an infomercial for a 12 week Kabbalah meditation course.

The major flaw I see with this book is its overuse of quotes. It seems Larsen should have simply edited an anthology, without all the hype. Every page drips with some quote from someone. Franz Kafka and Gandhi.B. Charles Dickens and Ram Dass. M. Scott Peck and Maxim Gorky. No Freud, but a little Jung. And of course nothing would be complete without a sprinkling of C.S. Lewis, Victor Hugo, and Stephen R. Covey. The problem I have with her quotes, is that they are used in passing, rarely giving context, hardly ever expanded on, and used as a crutch for content. I felt like I was being hit over the head with a rubber hammer after a while. They feel like rubber; they have been molded, formed, and shaped to mask more of the Mormon content.

Ripped out of any historical or literary context, quotes are only worth the paper they are printed on. On page 151, Larsen instructs us to look for the inner child in people. Enough said. But then she then quotes Friedrich Nietzsche and Woody Harrelson right after one another. Friedrich, who would call himself the Anti-Christ now and then, is one who has profound insights in philosopy and human nature. But that never comes through. Woody Harrelson, known for controversial film roles (i.e. Larry Flint) and his crudade to legalize hemp, is not who I would chose to help me understand the inner child. It just seems strange. When everything can be used to mean anything, I think it loses something. But don't quote me on that.

I came to one conclusion, that as a therapist, Larsen is one who will quickly validate and accept other opinions at face value. I don't make any judgements of her actual practice as a therapist, and would think she is a caring and compassionate counselor. But I think it would explain why she quotes everyone and their dog.

I think this book's purpose is noble, and I don't personally disagree about having a more compassionate, caring, giving, loving and kind heart. It is obviously a labor of love, and many will read it with renewed hope and learn something in the process. But, unfortunately, it was not what I hoped for, and frankly I wasn't able to finish it. I would rather spend my time rereading the gospels. Maybe that will help me be more charitable with books like these.

Dallas Robbins
cloudhill@hotmail.com