Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree by Mark Andreas

Title: Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree: 61 Stories of Creative & Compassionate Ways out of Conflict

Author: Mark Andreas

Format: Softcover Book (available for Kindle)

Source: http://amzn.to/MsEZKR

Price: $9 to $20

Rating: Excellent

One of the popular presuppositions of NLP states that "the person with the most flexibility controls the system."

Mark Andreas's new book, Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree: 61 Stories of Creative & Compassionate Ways out of Conflict, could be considered 61 stories that illustrate that point.

The subtitle summarizes this book beautifully. It's all accounts of ways that people handled conflict without resorting to force or violence.

Some of the tales are hilarious, others deeply moving. They come from a variety of sources. Some were collected by Mark Andreas himself while others are reprints from other publications. Cumulatively, they serve a fascinating function; people who read these stories will inevitably start thinking about more creative ways to approach conflict in their own lives. Similarly, the stories can't help but foster a desire for compassion.

The author does not interject himself much, mostly letting the tales stand on their own. Nonetheless, by nature of having been raised within the NLP community, Mark Andreas's collection includes stories from some of the big names in that tradition, and several of the tales illustrate applications of NLP principles.

Even so, the variety keeps the reader hooked. On one page there may be a brief tale of someone cleverly diverting muggers in Glasgow, but on the next starts a lengthy account of how microlending is actually counteracting poverty. Some stories are as short as a paragraph, while other are full article length. Most of them bear re-reading.

A number of the stories mention faith as an important element in creativity and compassion—yet the book is not weighted in favor of any one religion. It shows that whether people are turning to Shiva, Christ, Allah, Yahweh, or their own intuition, there is strength in silence, courage in compassion.

This book makes for an entertaining read, but it's also an excellent resource of stories to tell clients and groups. It belongs on any hypnotist's bookshelf.