Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness

Not bad. Not great. I read it in 10 minutes flat, in a bookstore. Don't even think of buying it, unless you want to gift someone. If you're gifting a bookworm, forget it. This book is more about style than substance.

If you want good advice, I'll go ahead and say it: be nice and kind. That's it. I said it in four words, for free.

This is a short “book,” or a transcript of Saunders's commencement speech at Syracuse University. It takes less than 5 minutes to read, and it might still be found on The New York Times website.

Five stars if the bit about parents is removed. (Just a personal preference.)