This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life Kindle Edition

I like it. The only problem is the author's translation of the Commencement Speech. In other words, he "substitutes" words in which David Foster Wallace did not "truly state" in the actual speech which changes the original commencement speech into a partially an interpreted commencement speech but most of it - I hope - stays true to the commencement speech, "verbatim". One example of this is on pg. 131 which states,"It is about the real value of a real education, which has nothing to do with "grades or degrees" - this is written in this text, this book, but in the actual commencement speech at the instance of him speaking, he states, "it is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, . . .". The text itself in this particular book doesn't state "verbatim" of the actual commencement speech at that particular time and place that took place in 2005. Compare the recorded speech and the actual text of this book - you might see small differences which becomes a slightly, partially, and interpreted work and not a "verbatim" text with the "actual commencement speech".

Do not buy the Kindle version. It is a great speech, but in the Kindle version the formatting is awful. There are only a few lines or words on most pages, so you have to continually keep turning pages for what should be an easy read. Also, the Kindle version is way overpriced. It is the transcript of a 23-minute commencement address, for gosh sake, but it costs the same as most 200-page novels. You can read the text online or listen to the full speech on YouTube. I could kick myself for wasting $9.99 on it.

I honestly do not even know where to begin in describing this book. Fosters concise insights into the human condition are a revelation. I've purchased this book several times as a gift for friends, family, and co-workers because of my belief in the usefulness of this book. That's a funny way to describe a book isn't it? Useful. Certainly books can expand the mind and offer new ways of thinking about things, but often the enlightenment they offer is not practical. Plato's Republic is bound to give you plenty to think about and illuminate your understanding the human condition, but how can you truly put those lessons to use in the modern era? This is Water is a guide to life. Foster offers scenarios we are all familiar with and our reactions to them. He then proposes an alternate approach to these mundane activities that can relieve the stress and tension they so often create. My two takeaways from this book would be mindfulness and humility. Mindfulness in understanding that you are not alone in how you feel and that unknown circumstances you could sympathize with may be at factor in your interaction with others. Humility in that you do not know everything and that you are not the center of the universe. The ideas in This is Water are bound to be so obvious that you might dismiss it altogether, but that's the point. Foster explains how often it's the things right in front of us that we take for granted and the solution is putting that understanding in the forefront of our thoughts more often. William S. Burroughs famously said "The job of the artist is to show you what you already know." And in my opinion Foster satisfies that function.

Having graduated from a liberal arts university 19 years ago, I can say the advice in this speech is dead-on based on my life experiences since then. Very relatable life advice and takes a half hour or less to read!

This commencement speech really pulls my heartstrings and is a great reminder to be patient and kind to everyone I encounter in this life.Three stars because the layout is WEIRD, it definitely takes away some of the power of the words because each page has only a few sentences and reads very choppy.

David Foster Wallace wrote numerous books, some brilliant, receiving well-deserved praise. "This is Water" is not fiction. It is a speech he gave to a college graduating class. Only one brilliant paragraph per page, sometimes only a phrase, laid out rather like a poem, and reading almost like an incredible waterfall of wisdom. Five stars. One of those rare gems. Can be read in one sitting, and is immensely nourishing, uplifting, and full of insight, humor, and rich emotion.

It's ironic that I have never heard of David Foster Wallace before today and sort of highlights my own thought process. Mr. Wallace has more than nailed how we humans stumble our way through life without giving much thought at all about what to think. A meaningful an insightful read.

I would recommend this book to anyone learning to define who they are and what they value. Like much of David Foster Wallace's writing, it is nitty gritty real life, honest, inspirational and nuanced prose unique to him. Too soon he left us.

I'm in the process of reading everything the man wrote in his tragically curtailed life. This essay is thought provoking and, as ever, brilliantly written and, to use one of many words Ihabe learned from the man himself, slightly pleonastic.Go on, look it up.

Great and profound prose on living a good life in the 21st Century really enjoyed it very much thank yo7

Great little book which can be easily lifted for another read time and again.

You will be able to read this little book in an hour or two, but such is its power, its message will hang around in your mind for weeks, months or maybe longer. Beautiful and haunting. A wise author who has left a gem of a book for the curious reader to dip into, again and again.

Beautiful writing