Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society

Gardner writes clearly, succinctly, and insightfully. The wonder to me is that this book was written in 1964, and that I'd never even heard of it until 2019. Shame on me and kudos for the author: Gardner never pretended that renewal, either for society or individuals, would be easy.

We were assigned this book to read for our Poli Sci term paper... I found the book extremely intriguing, and thought-provoking! The edition that I purchased came with the author's signature, and the previous owner included a copy of the Stanford newspaper article of the in-person reading. Great book - glad I was introduced to this book.

What John Gardner was doing and what he wrote about sometime ago has lasting value. His clarity leaves no doubts about ways we can benefit individually and how to go about doing so in body, mind, and spirit. It's our Common Cause.

This is a book that you can't help but feel positive and hopeful for a better tomorrow. Some might find it a bit too hopeful but this book's prediction of some of the great things our society will become is already coming true. It's a short book that should be read every couple of years to help you refocus on possibilities of the greatness that resides in individuals. I just read a new book and it talked about how society can't be great if the individuals only care of about their own success and I couldn't disagree more. If every individual took care and improved himself then society would be much better.

Powerful read and applicable to the diseased society we live in today. Nicely unpacks the major themes of a functioning and dysfunctional society.

This is NOT a self-help, pop psychology book. This IS a profoundly eloquent, deeply perceptive, compelling set of antidotes to soundbites. It is timeless. It puts forth pragmatic and resonant ways of navigating the complexities of dynamic change within the necessary stability of society. Gardner's observations on innovation, creativity, motivation are quietly inspiring. Please look at the Table of Contents to get a glimpse.

I am a great admirer of John W. Gardner. I especially liked On Excellence and On Leadership. I did not find much to help me in Self-Renewal. I think his observations and opinions are valid and interesting. I found little to give me hope that democracy can renew itself sufficiently to address the civilization threatening issues of catastrophic climate change, declining oil production, and religious/resource wars.

Excellent, inspiring and confirming. Gardner validates and encourages the courage and nimbleness of human creativity. His work expands limited thinking and honors resiliency. I read this slowly and underline. I've given it to friends.

The book has nuggets of wisdom, but one has to filter through a lot of verbosity to find them. This was my first John Gardner book, I won't be purchasing another.