Allison, Jay and Gediman, Dan, eds. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable American Men and Women. Henry Holt and Company, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-8050-8658-4.
Allison, Jay and Gediman, Dan, eds. This I Believe II: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable American Men and Women. Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-8050-8768-0.
Meet the Editors
Jay Allison is the host and curator of This I Believe and the founder of the public radio stations that serve Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Code. His work often appears on National Public Radio. Allison is a five time Peabody Award winner.
Dan Gediman is the executive producer of This I Believe. His work has been heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Fresh Air, Marketplace, Jazz Profiles, and This American Life. Gediman is a duPont-Columbia Award winner.
Book Basics
This I Believe is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. Each day, Americans gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists, and secretaries—anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived.
Selected contemporary This I Believe essays were featured on regular broadcasts on National Public Radio in the United States from 2005 – 2009. Over 60,000 essays have been submitted to a project’s website. Essays were selected for volume I (2006), which became a bestseller before volume II (2008) was published. The first volume includes a few essays from the 1950s sprinkled among the contemporary offerings. The second volume is entirely contemporary. Both volumes offer a mix of essays selected from among the online submissions and those sought from famous people. Each essay focuses on a core principle or principles that guides the individual’s life.
Among the well known contributors: 
- Volume I: Leonard Bernstein, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Carl Sandburg, Bill Gates, and Newt Gingrich.
- Volume II: Robert Fulghum, Jerry Hollander, James Loney, Ellie Wiesel, Yo-Yo Ma and Tony Hawk.
Volume II also includes the only anonymous essay in the series, which is written by a Guantanamo Bay interrogator.
So What?
Clearly articulating one’s personal credo or core beliefs in a few hundred words or less is a challenge. It is something many mainline Protestant faith communities ask of teenagers preparing for confirming, but also an exercise that serves as helpful at any age. What do you really believe? Consider writing your own essay. If you would like to submit your essay of 500 words of less, you may do so here.
Either or both of these books could be used for a book study group, which might also include the creation and sharing of personal essays. Additionally, This I Believe offers a free downloadable resource for those who seek to use this material in the context of a faith community.