On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old

by Parker J. Palmer Narrated by Steve Carlson

Overview

From beloved bestselling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak) comes a beautiful book of meditations and reflections on eight decades of life, the process of aging, his own spiritual journey (which has never been confined to a creed), and his vocation as a writer and thinker.

On the Brink of Everything is an exploration of Parker Palmer's experience of living and aging, written in hopes of encouraging readers of every age to explore their life course. It is not a "guide to" or "handbook" for "getting old"--something all of us are doing all the time. Instead it's a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life--and on the importance of staying meaningfully engaged with life until the end. From beginning to end the book is packed with both humor and gravitas.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/28/2018
Palmer (Healing the Heart of Democracy), an author and poet now in his 80s, telegraphs insights from “the brink of everything” in this collection of lessons gleaned from contemplating one’s life while nearing death. “There’s no antidote for the gravity that takes us to the grave,” he writes. “But there is also a countervailing force called ‘levity.’ ” Palmer includes quotes from spiritual guides such as Thomas Merton and William Sloane Coffin next to personal memoir, diary entries, excerpts from speeches, and quotes from poets such as Mary Oliver, Rumi, May Sarton, Dylan Thomas, and W.B. Yeats. Insights into his own aging as an “angry Quaker” are filled out by a diagnosis of America’s spiritual maladies and broken body politic: “When we lack the moral imagination to do something else with our suffering, we do violence.” Palmer encourages readers to regain their ability to convert suffering into resurrection; instead of fear, the path to recovery is an embrace of the good, bad, and ugly in each person. For Palmer, radical acceptance eschews perfection in favor of integrity. Warm, generous, and funny, this impassioned book invites readers to the deep end of life where authentic soul work and human transformation become pressing concerns. (July)

From the Publisher

2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards gold medalist in the Aging/Death & Dying category.

“Parker Palmer is one of our wisest minds and lives and one of my greatest mentors. He has the spirit of a poet and the stature of a prophet. There is no one I’d rather eavesdrop on as he ponders ‘the brink of everything.’ This book is a companion for not merely surviving a fractured world but embodying—like Parker—the fiercely honest and gracious wholeness that is ours to claim at every stage of life.”
—Krista Tippett, founder of On Being Studios, author of Einstein’s God and Becoming Wise, and winner of the 2013 National Humanities Medal
 
“Parker Palmer is the most integral and wholehearted teacher of our age. For nearly eight decades, he has seen much, questioned everything, and returned with a wisdom essential to everyone. His latest book, On the Brink of Everything, is a deep reflection on aging that offers a master’s earned view of the large and the small and how we’re all vital threads woven together by life. This book will stir your soul and bring you closer to everything.”
—Mark Nepo, author of More Together Than Alone and The Book of Awakening
 
“Parker J. Palmer’s tenth wise book, On the Brink of Everything, is a wondrously rich mix of reality and possibility, comfort and story, helpful counsel and poetry, in the voice of a friend. It’s an honest wake-up chime, no matter where you are in your own time line, because somehow, these pages hold all of time—past and present, stirring together—refreshing the spirit. This is a book of immense gratitude, consolation, and praise.”
—Naomi Shihab Nye, author of Transfer and Voices in the Air and National Book Award finalist
 
“Our entire culture is deeply in need of true elders, and you can’t be one until you have arrived there—chronologically, spiritually, and intellectually. Parker J. Palmer is a writer and a man who has clearly earned the title of elder. And he elders with such readability and humor! This book is a generous gift to all of us—and to our attempts at a truly human civilization.”
—Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and author of Falling Upward and Adam’s Return
 
“Parker J. Palmer’s books are long-treasured companions on my personal journey. His newest offering is clear-eyed and good-humored, luminously prophetic and disarmingly honest. It is tender to the core for our shared human condition and fierce with love and unguarded hope for our shared human possibility. It has the feel of a lovely kitchen table conversation between the author and reader, exploring thoughtful aging, finding meaning in hard times, and how we can deepen and balance our inner and outer landscapes at any stage of life. This book is a generous gift to a worried and weary world.”
—Carrie Newcomer, musician, recording artist of The Beautiful Not Yet, author of A Permeable Life, and Grammy Award–winning songwriter
 
“Parker Palmer has given me so many gifts through the years. His writing has done for me what I can only hope mine does for others. On the Brink of Everything has given me new and special gifts. Parker, now in his late seventies, has helped this guy in his early sixties think of my years ahead as ‘triple wrapped in mystery.’ Savoring this book is a kind of mentorship in aging, and it ends in a crescendo of poetry. My first thought when I turned the last page: ‘I want to read this again from the beginning, starting right now.’”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration
 
“Parker Palmer has been a mentor and midwife to countless young people in my generation, including me. When I was in my twenties standing at a crossroads, his book Let Your Life Speak inspired me to pursue an untraditional path as an activist-artist; he released the music within me. Now in my thirties, as the cacophony of vitriol and violence becomes deafening, his friendship teaches me how to remain faithful to my own melodies and keep playing them. In the darkness, Parker has taught me how to wonder at the night sky, keep death in my mind’s eye, and listen to the wisdom of my grandfather and ancestors, whose music lives within mine. He has poured these insights into a book that feels more like a treasure chest. On the Brink of Everything is filled with gems of wisdom, each a prism that helps us see our own vast interiority and sing our own truths. My greatest aspiration is to journey through life and arrive at the brink as Parker has, with humility and faithfulness, and pockets full of gems.”
—Valarie Kaur, civil rights activist, lawyer, filmmaker, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project
 
“One of the wisest people on the planet has written one of the finest books on growing b/old gracefully. This warm and witty book will delight and inspire readers of all ages.”
—Richard Leider, bestselling author or coauthor of The Power of Purpose, Repacking Your Bags, and Life Reimagined

"Warm, generous, and funny, this impassioned book invites readers to the deep end of life where authentic soul work and human transformation become pressing concerns.”
—Publisher's Weekly

"Through essays, poems, and reflections, he covers subjects such as the importance of staying connected with younger generations; the writing life; engagement of the soul; and where it is we go when we die. He is also an 'angry Quaker' as he might say, unafraid to address issues of diversity and political engagement in a time when we no longer have the luxury of inaction. My favorite part of the book is the chapter titled 'Keep Reaching Out,' where he encourages older humans to keep up their serious engagement with the world. It gives vitality and purpose to life and allows elders to share their unique gifts. Also, he notes, it would be ridiculous not to. This is a bracing book, indeed."
—Kathryn Drury Wagner

"In his discussion of spirituality, Palmer covers his quest for the true self, the call to community, and a memorable retreat. In his commentaries on work and staying engaged with the world and your soul, this seasoned writer keeps us attentive with short gems on living from the inside out, the movie Begin Again, and some very right-on-target assessments of today's tense political scene. Palmer even takes responsibility for being hooked on anger and the challenges he faces in bringing love to the fore in all his relationships, both private and public."
—Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

APRIL 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Steve Carlson’s textured voice and thoughtful phrasing punctuated with strategic pauses and authentic emotion make his performance sound totally in sync with 80-year-old Parker Palmer’s reflections and insights. The audio is a collection of 24 essays and some poems that deal with issues of aging such as reimagining work and purpose, staying engaged with young people, knowing oneself, and coming to terms with end-of-life issues. Palmer says he aims to use his personal experience of aging to help others approach it “as a period of discovery and engagement rather than decline and inaction.” With Carlson’s vocal engagement and relaxed delivery, this is a listening experience that will provoke thoughtful reframing of what it means to live fully in one’s later years. T.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171711269
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	06/26/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos