Compassion is much more than a state of mind. That's because it has the power to move people to act on behalf of others. Here more than forty, first-person stories by the likes of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Pema Chodron, Barbara Brodsky, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jay Jarvis Masters, Joan Halifax, and Sogyal Rinpoche that demonstrate how compassion can be a dynamic force that achieves concrete consequences. In one story, a monk welcomes a dying child into his home, providing the boy with practical care and a sense of peace during the boy's last nine months of life. In another story, a civil rights protester learns from a cellmate how to find compassion for those she once considered to be the ''opposition.'' In stories as gripping as they are inspirational, it becomes abundantly clear that intentional acts of kindness are nothing short of life-changing -- and sometimes even world-changing. The writings collected here also prove that while our compassion aids others, it is also a mighty force that opens our own hearts. Pamela Bloom believes compassion is contagious. She has compiled a timely book for times worth changing.