New York, NY: Crown Publishing, 2007.

Byron Katie shares her personal experience of how she remains in a constant state of acceptance and joy through the process of inquiry called “The Work.” In her previous books Loving What Is and I Need Your Love—Is that True? she offered readers a detailed description of how ‘The Work’ can be used – by anyone in any circumstances –
when that person is ready to find the truth within themselves and thus change her or his life. However, in this text she provides only a few examples of how her facilitation of “The work” helps others with their issues.

In A Thousand Names for Joy, Katie describes experiencing an ongoing peaceful state of being, which she models for the reader regardless of the personal challenges she faces. She demonstrates how she has found inner peace with the more mundane life experiences to the more complex challenges she faces, such as a tumor on her face or an illness that is making her blind. She has arrived at bringing forth profound insights through a phenomenal epiphany, which she had in a half-way house one morning. Ever since that time she has embarked on the journey of questioning every one of her beliefs and thoughts. This completely changed her life from a place of chronic depression to a place of continual Joy.

The process of the inquiry which Katie has developed is based on the following questions and the resultant turn-around produced through addressing these questions, a process which she claims allows people to experience the opposite of what they believe. These four questions are:

1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought? (p. 270)

From my perspective the most unique aspect about her simple, self-healing modality and her writings is that it seems to embody so much of what has been presented in theory by so many authors who may have experienced enlightenment but may not have been able to demonstrate the application of such a powerful experience in such a humble and basic format. It was her husband who had immersed himself in ancient texts who noticed the well-spring of ancient truth coming through Katie’s voice.

What is unique about this writer’s genuine accounts is that she had not been introduced to the theories of ancient texts prior to her development of this method of inquiry. Her husband, Stephen Mitchell, provided the modern English version of the Tao Te Ching which is used for the epigraphs that begin each chapter of this new book. In the preface, Mitchell offers insights into how this book came to be so intellectual and yet so humble.

The author presents the means to apply ancient theory to her everyday life, means which spring from her naturally. Through the examples given from her own life history, she demonstrates how to live in this world without projecting fear. No matter what the circumstances, this process of inquiry allows her to project only love for what ever is happening within her or in her surroundings in the now moment. She sums this up so movingly:

I am excited about this book for it allows me to see an avenue by which I can experience my life in this simple, truthful way, which from my perspective includes all the theories that have been brought to humanity by so many ancient and modern masters. I would recommend Katie’s writings to spiritual aspirants, to holistic-minded health professionals, and to ordinary citizens who are looking to transform their present inner and outer conditions.

Book review by Inge Turner, Doctoral student at Holos University Graduate Seminary

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