Bright Shining

"A powerful book from one of my favorite writers on something we all need more of...and could give more of." — Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy

"Luminous. . . . A work to both devour and savour, Baird has, once again, written a book the world needs now."
— Guardian

From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace.

Grace is hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity and compassion, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favoring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.

Sadly, we live in an era when grace is increasingly rare. Our growing distrust of the media, politicians, and each other has choked our ability to trust, to accept, to allow for mistakes, to forgive.

What does grace look like in today’s world, and how do we recognize it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? In this luminously beautiful, deeply insightful, and timely inspirational book, Baird explores the meaning of grace and how we can cut through negativity to find it today.

This profound exploration of grace offers a path back to our shared humanity:

Shared Humanity: Discover how moral beauty—the goodness we see in others—is a primary source of awe and a powerful tool to rebuild trust in a fractured world. Forgiving the Unforgivable: Journey through the complexities of forgiveness, from restorative justice with murderers to the personal choice to release the past without forgetting it. Grace in the Everyday: Learn to recognize and nurture grace not as a rare miracle, but as an inner light that can be found in the kindness of strangers and the strength of our connections. A Path to Resilience: Explore how grace acts as a source of grit and strength, offering an inspiring guide to cutting through negativity and finding hope even in the darkest of times.