“One of the best books I’ve ever read, period. An extraordinary adventure, scientific odyssey, and spiritual journey of the highest orders. Beautifully written and deeply inspiring; a klieg light in the darkness. Brilliant in every way!”
—Dean Ornish, M.D., founder and president of Preventive Medicine Research Institute, clinical professor of medicine at UC San Francisco, and author of The Spectrum and Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease
“Sometimes Brilliant is simply remarkable. Filled with inspiration and humor, Larry Brilliant’s memoir chronicles his spiritual and professional journey that includes fighting for social justice in America and helping to eradicate smallpox in India. Sometimes Brilliant is a candid assessment of a tumultuous time and an insider’s account of what can be achieved through the sheer force of a shared vision.”
—Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In
“Larry Brilliant has been an incredible inspiration to me as a spiritual adviser, teacher, and friend. He has dedicated his life to helping others and making the world a better place—from eradicating smallpox to addressing global inequality. Larry also helped ignite my personal passion for advancing children’s healthcare, and for that I’m grateful. His life story is nothing short of remarkable and this book will serve as an enduring inspiration for many generations to come.”
—Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce
“Larry Brilliant’s story would be worth reading just for the fascinating cast of characters he introduces and the turbulent times he describes so vividly. But the book also offers us a more valuable gift: a rare bridge between science and spirituality, and a reminder that real progress in improving the lives of other human beings is within our grasp.”
—Steven Johnson, author of The Ghost Map and How We Got to Now
“Truly magnificent. Sometimes Brilliant mixes a gripping story, a primer on compassionate service, and a guide to purpose-driven social action into a can’t-stop-reading narrative. Larry Brilliant tells an entrancing tale, one we need more than ever: as us-and-them hate gains the spotlight, he restores faith in the power of unity toward a greater good. Sometimes Brilliant is in turns wise, funny, and inspiring—and always terrific.”
—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and A Force for Good
“Maharaji has now written another book and this is it.”
—Ram Dass
“Steal this book! Steal this book! No, wait, that was Abby Hoffman from the 1960s. Now I say: Buy this book! Buy this book! It’s a really uber-awesome slab of tree flesh. This book is a true-life adventure of a life well lived to make the world a better place.”
—Wavy Gravy, Clown Prince and Master of Ceremonies at Woodstock
“My friend Larry Brilliant has had an exceptional career and an outsized impact on global health, but he took a path less traveled that included work in the civil rights movement, seeing the world by bus, and embarking on a great spiritual journey. In Sometimes Brilliant, Larry gives us an honest, forthright, and entertaining depiction of his unique experiences and how they helped him play a vital role in the eradication of one of our planet’s most ancient plagues.”
—Al Gore, 45th vice president of the United States
“This book reads like an adventure novel, by one of the most innovative figures in global health telling the fascinating tale of smallpox eradication—one of the great triumphs in public health.”
—Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
“A brilliant storyteller reveals a life of endless curiosity. Having worked with and known the author for forty-three years I can verify that some of these stories may actually be true! I highly recommend this book.”
—Bill Foege, M.D., MPH, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, former director of CDC, and author of House on Fire
“This is the story of a life that you couldn’t make up if you tried. Inspiring, terrifying, touching, and transcendent, with a cast of characters from the widest possible spectrum of humanity. Dr. Brilliant takes us on the last leg of a relay race against a horrible death that mankind has waited ten thousand years to complete—while also engaging us on his inner journey of discovery, despair, and ultimately triumph. You can hear the knock on the door of a billion house calls in his prose, his love, and a lifelong journey that celebrates the human experience. An astounding book to treasure and devour. Dr. Brilliant is a superstar and I am honored to be a small part of the effort to let everyone else in on the secret.”
—Jay Walker, founder of Priceline.com
“What do you get when you cross Steve Jobs’s India with Wavy Gravy and the Grateful Dead, Google with the PayPal founders? What a welcome relief to see this story of someone with soul and a great healing spirit coming out of Silicon Valley, to actually—literally—help in saving the world. This is the wonderful book we will all give to our children, as they look for mentors and career inspiration—after staying up reading it ourselves.”
—Mark Anderson, CEO of Strategic News Service
“In an age of global crisis, Sometimes Brilliant is a beacon of hope. An improbable and engaging account of how the world came together to eradicate one of the most deadly diseases in our history. A must-read for those dedicated to create necessary and lasting change.”
—Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation
“Larry Brilliant is an extraordinary man who has lived an extraordinary life. Sometimes Brilliant is a mesmerizing read—at once one man’s unexpected journey through life, a window inside some of the most unique social and spiritual movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and the story of how people from a dozen nations came together to eradicate one of the world’s most terrible diseases. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.”
—Jim Wallis, author of America’s Original Sin, president of Sojourners, and editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine
“I couldn’t have made up a story half as interesting or thought provoking as what I just read in these pages. Hard to put down and easy to feel inspired, Sometimes Brilliant should really be titled Simply Brilliant. This terrific book brings to light the power of the karmic yoga path. Do yourself a favor and read it.”
—Chade-Meng Tan, author of Search Inside Yourself and Joy on Demand
“Larry Brilliant has touched many lives in person all over the world. The famous, the not-so-famous, the establishment, and the counterculture all figure in this remarkable memoir. Sometimes Brilliant will touch still more lives with its humanity. An extraordinary life extraordinarily well lived.”
—Stephan Chambers, the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship, London School of Economics
“Fabulous! A wildly inspiring, wondrous, improbable, heartbreaking, and triumphant tale. Makes you want to do beautiful courageous things.”
—Jack Kornfield, founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and author of A Path with Heart
“Sometimes Brilliant is an epic, life-transforming story, about the triumph of Love against all odds. Larry’s mystic, long and winding hippie trail emerges from the era of sex, drugs, and rock and roll and leads toward saving the world’s poor from deadly diseases. Our globe urgently needs Doctor America’s vision. Sometimes Brilliant is an eye-opening tale of a true superhero, friend of humanity, and servant of God. In Sometimes Brilliant, readers will see an America which is hopeful, fearless, and champion of the underdog. Sometimes Brilliant should be required reading for students at all universities across the globe and for world leaders who want to find creative solutions to overcome the myriad threats of the twenty-first century.”
—Salman Ahmad, founder of the rock band Junoon, professor of Islamic music at Queens College, Polio Goodwill Ambassador, and author of Rock & Roll Jihad
“On its surface, Sometimes Brilliant is a gripping, illuminating, and entertaining inside look at one of the greatest medical triumphs of our time—wiping smallpox from the face of the planet. But at a deeper level, it is a compelling argument for pursuing a life that productively combines both serendipity and intentionality, rather than one to the exclusion of the other.”
—Roger L. Martin, Institute Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management
“Dr. Larry is more than sometimes brilliant. He has written an epic tale about the massive program to eradicate smallpox from the face of the globe, as predicted by our guru, Neem Karoli Baba. He combines the deep tenets of living a spiritual life with an activist’s heart-full desire to relieve suffering—the perfect illustration of what is meant by fulfilling your life purpose through karma yoga. And his brilliant light shines on.”
—Parvati Markus, author of Love Everyone
“Sometimes Brilliant is heartfelt and deeply inspiring, from Larry’s stories of the 1960s, to his spiritual quest and relationship with Maharaji, and in the amazing story of the eradication of smallpox. I read with a sense of wonder and suspense, and continue to reflect on how what seems impossible can become possible when we work together for the greater good.”
—Sunanda Markus, former board member for the Seva Foundation and devotee of Neem Karoli Baba
“Now I know why Larry Brilliant has the wonderful capacity to form bonds not of political or social convenience, not for transactional gain, not of temporary duration, but lasting bonds of love and purpose. In this book he beautifully describes the experiences, the moments, the insights that nurtured this capacity. Read it and cry. Read it and laugh. Read it and be in awe.”
—U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R) for South Carolina’s 4th congressional district, 1993–99 and 2005–11
“I am excited about Sometimes Brilliant and the opportunity for those who may have been in a hole and missed the dynamic ministry of Dr. Brilliant to become acquainted with this brilliant man through his written story. Oh, by the way, when I met him at San Quentin, he was there as a volunteer to offer an evening of ministry to the inmates—that’s Brilliant!”
—Rev. Earl Smith, former chaplain at San Quentin State Prison, now team pastor for the San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors, and author of Death Row Chaplain