I was asked to review Marlo Thomas’ new book The Right Words at the Right Time:Your Turn. This is second in a line of books containing inspirational stories. The first book was all stories from the lives of famous people, this second one is a collection of life changing moments from everyday people.

The book had many great stories of people who used those “right words” of inspiration, hope and perspective to overcome difficult moments and persevere. Some of the stories were more meaningful and profound than others. There were many that seemed rather schmaltzy to me, but I can be rather cynical. This book reminded me a lot of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books- it has the same blend of warm fuzzy moments and determined hopefulness. This can be good or bad, depending on what you plan to use the book for. Need a lift or an encouraging story for a Sunday school class- the book is an asset. Looking for a great read that is going to really make you think and learn- look elsewhere.

While many of the stories are sincere and offer wonderful perspective on the human condition and our ability to thrive and adapt and grow, as is the case with many books similar to these, it is hard to tell where the profound stops and the blatant sentimentalism begins. The stories become trite and meaningless, as the book serves no real teaching purpose and has no central message to drive home to the reader and to focus the audience enough to incite change or lend true wisdom. It is difficult to see these stories making any more difference in a person’s life than your average e-mail forward, and you know how fast we hit the delete key on those.