Marianne Williamson Popular Books

Marianne Williamson Biography & Facts

Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, speaker, and politician. She began her professional career as spiritual leader of the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan. Williamson has written several self-help books, including A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles in 1992, which became a New York Times Best Seller. She was launched into prominence by Oprah Winfrey, being a frequent guest on her daytime talk show and becoming known as her "spiritual advisor".Williamson ran unsuccessfully as an independent for California's 33rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 2014, finishing fourth with 13.2% of the vote. She ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, eventually dropping out and endorsing Bernie Sanders. She runs in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries, challenging incumbent President Joe Biden. Williamson's presidential platform calls for an end to the war on drugs, a federal minimum wage increase, reparations for racial injustice, addressing climate change, and creating a U.S. Department of Peace. On February 7, 2024, she announced she had suspended her campaign after receiving 2.9% of the vote in the Nevada Democratic primary, but on February 28, 2024, Williamson re-entered the presidential race after placing third in the Michigan Democratic primary, receiving 3% of the vote.Williamson has been actively involved with charity work, founding such organizations as Center for Living in 1987, Project Angel Food in 1989, and the Peace Alliance in 1998. She sits on the board for RESULTS, a nonprofit group which is dedicated to finding long-term solutions to poverty. Early life and education Williamson was born in Houston, Texas in 1952. She is the youngest of three children of Samuel "Sam" Williamson, a World War II veteran and immigration lawyer, and Sophie Ann Kaplan, a homemaker and community volunteer.Williamson was raised in an upper-middle class family that practiced Conservative Judaism. Her family attended Congregation Beth Yeshurun. She learned about world religions and social justice at home and became interested in public advocacy when she saw her rabbi speak against the Vietnam War.In 1965, after Williamson came home from school in the seventh grade, she recounted to her parents that her teacher supported the Vietnam War. Her father reacted by taking the family to Vietnam to help explain to Marianne why he thought that the war was wrong. She has said that through travel she "had an experience, at a young age, that people are the same everywhere."Williamson attended Houston ISD's Bellaire High School. After graduating, she spent two years studying theater and philosophy at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a roommate of future film producer Lynda Obst. In 1973, Williamson dropped out of college and lived "a nomadic existence" during what she calls "her wasted decade".Williamson moved to New Mexico, where she took classes at the University of New Mexico and lived in a geodesic dome with her boyfriend. The couple broke up a year later. Marianne then moved to Austin, Texas, where she took classes at the University of Texas. After leaving Texas, she went to New York City, intending to pursue a career as a cabaret singer; however, she has stated that she was distracted by "bad boys and good dope". Vanity Fair wrote that Williamson "spent her twenties in a growing state of existential despair." In New York, Williamson suffered from deep depression following the end of a relationship. She has said that this experience gave rise to a desire to spend the rest of her life helping people. A Course in Miracles Although initially uninterested due to her Jewish faith, Williamson developed an interest in Helen Schucman's book A Course in Miracles in 1976. She explored spirituality, metaphysics, and meditation as she began reading the Course "passionately". She also reconciled the Course with her Jewishness; in her view, "A conversion to Christ is not a conversion to Christianity. It is a conversion to a conviction of the heart".Williamson said the book was her "path out of hell", as she had been "mired in a series of unhappy love affairs, alcohol and drug abuse, a nervous breakdown, and endless sessions with therapists." The Course has often been described as a religion or pseudoreligion. Williamson disagrees, describing it as a "spiritual psychotherapy" instead of a religion. Career In 1979, Williamson returned to Houston, where she ran a metaphysical bookstore coffee shop, sang Gershwin standards in a nightclub, got married and divorced "almost immediately", and underwent a "spiritual surrender".In 1983, Williamson had what she has called a "flash" to close the coffee shop and move to Los Angeles. She got an apartment in Hollywood, where her roommate was 17-year-old Laura Dern. Dern has stated that Williamson "held prayer groups in our living room."Williamson's teachings stemmed from an inspirational message: "Divine love is the core and essence of every human mind." She saw this message as a remedy to misinterpretations of the Bible that, through an emphasis on sin and guilt, could lead to harm (e.g. slavery, depression, self-loathing).As word spread about "the young woman talking about a God who loves you, no matter what," she had to rent church space to accommodate the demand to hear her speak. Four years later, she began lecturing monthly in New York. Eventually, she was invited to speak throughout the U.S. and Europe. Williamson did not charge for her lectures but had a "suggested donation" of $7 and a policy of not turning people away for lack of money. Williamson's style has been described as a "trendy amalgam of Christianity, Buddhism, pop psychology and 12-step recovery wisdom". Unity Church Pastor Williamson became the spiritual leader for the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan, where she had 2,300 congregants and 50,000 television viewers. Her position also included administrative leadership; her actions as leader included booking Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, expanding the bookstore, and increasing the congregation's racial and sexual orientation diversity. As a result, the Church grew rapidly.Williamson resigned from the Church Renaissance Unity Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship in 2003. For a time, she lectured at Methodist, Episcopal and Unitarian churches. Author Williamson has written 14 books as of 2019. Seven have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with four reaching number one. She has sold more than three million books. Williamson's most popular work is A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (1992). The book appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for 39 weeks in the "Advice, How To and Miscellaneous" category; it teaches that practicing love every day will bring more peace and fulfillment to one's life. The following quotatio.... Discover the Marianne Williamson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Marianne Williamson books.

Best Seller Marianne Williamson Books of 2024

  • Des femmes inspirantes synopsis, comments

    Des femmes inspirantes

    Christophe Faure & Aurélie Godefroy

    Il y a des femmes inspirantes, qui nous élèvent, quelles que soient les générations, les traditions, ou leurs domaines d'action. Elles révèlent une autre manière d'être au monde, d...

  • Summary of Tears to Triumph synopsis, comments

    Summary of Tears to Triumph

    Instaread

    Summary of Tears to Triumph by Marianne Williamson | Includes Analysis   Preview: Tears to Triumph by Marianne Williamson is a nonfiction meditation on suffering and the spiri...

  • Healing the Soul of America synopsis, comments

    Healing the Soul of America

    Marianne Williamson

    Healing That Reaches Beyond the SelfIn this landmark work, Marianne Williamson reminds us that there is a point in everyone's spiritual journey where the search for selfawareness c...

  • A Theology of Love synopsis, comments

    A Theology of Love

    Richard Smoley

    A spirituality based on love, not fear Shares key, inspiring teachings from A Course in Miracles as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, and the Sefer Yetzirah, the oldest know...

  • A Politics of Love synopsis, comments

    A Politics of Love

    Marianne Williamson

    Bring positive change to your life with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson – preorder her latest, The Mystic Jesus, picking up where A Return to Love left off...

  • Illuminata synopsis, comments

    Illuminata

    Marianne Williamson

    Marianne Williamson's bestselling A Return to Love ended with a prayer in which she asked God to help us "find our way home, from the pain to peace, from fear to love, from hell to...

  • A Year with Anthony De Mello synopsis, comments

    A Year with Anthony De Mello

    Anthony De Mello

    Release your true inner self, shed society’s expectations and programming, and regain your equilibrium with A Year with Anthony De Mello. This weekbyweek workbook is filled with fi...

  • A Course In Weight Loss synopsis, comments

    A Course In Weight Loss

    Marianne Williamson

    The New York Times bestseller, now with a new Introduction by the author!"If your 'weighty thinking' does not change, then even if you lose weight you'll retain an overwhelming sub...

  • You Are The One synopsis, comments

    You Are The One

    Kute Blackson

    A charismatic visionary and transformational teacher offers a bold new look at spiritual awareness providing the tools needed to live a life truly inspired by love for a whole new ...

  • Everyday Grace synopsis, comments

    Everyday Grace

    Marianne Williamson

    From activist, spiritual leader, New York Timesbestselling author, and 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson comes a book about everyday peace, everyday hope, and everyda...

  • The Mystic Jesus synopsis, comments

    The Mystic Jesus

    Marianne Williamson

    Returning to the topic of her beloved classic bestseller Return to Love, spiritual guide Marianne Williamson builds on the ideas introduced in that book to lead us toward the light...

  • The Law of Divine Compensation synopsis, comments

    The Law of Divine Compensation

    Marianne Williamson

    Wealth and abundance are our divine right, learn to embrace prosperity with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson – preorder her latest, The Mystic Jesus, pickin...

  • Handbook for the Soul synopsis, comments

    Handbook for the Soul

    Benjamin Shield, Richard Carlson & Marianne Williamson

    America's most celebrated spiritual writers offer inspiring words on the state of the soul today. This collection of more than thirty original essays addresses both the importance ...

  • Women, Food, and Desire synopsis, comments

    Women, Food, and Desire

    Alexandra Jamieson

    A holistic health counselor and costar of the awardwinning documentary Super Size Me explores women’s cravingsfor food, sleep, sex, movement, companionship, inspirationand teaches ...

  • A Return to Love synopsis, comments

    A Return to Love

    Marianne Williamson

    The phenomenal #1 bestseller – preorder Marianne Williamson’s latest, picking up where A Return to Love left off: The Mystic JesusThis megabestselling spiritual guide has become a ...

  • Sieben kleine Worte synopsis, comments

    Sieben kleine Worte

    Debra Landwehr Engle

    Ein Gebet, das Kraft spendet und Heilung bewirkt – für Menschen aller GlaubensrichtungenWie oft machen wir uns Sorgen ums Geld, den Job, die Familie oder die Gesundheit? Zwar könne...

  • The Marianne Williamson Presidential Phenomenon synopsis, comments

    The Marianne Williamson Presidential Phenomenon

    R. Michael Fisher

    The most important national election in U.S. history is underway. Marianne Williamson steppedup to show she is confident to be president of the United States in 2020. She had to st...

  • A Course in Miracles Made Easy synopsis, comments

    A Course in Miracles Made Easy

    Alan H. Cohen

    A Course in Miracles (ACIM)the selfstudy spiritualthought system that teaches the way to love and forgivenesshas captured the minds and hearts of millions of people, and deliv...

  • Be As You Are synopsis, comments

    Be As You Are

    Sri Ramana Maharshi

    'Our own Selfrealization is the greatest service we can render the world'The simple but powerful teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, one of India's most revered spiritual masters, co...

  • The Gift of Change synopsis, comments

    The Gift of Change

    Marianne Williamson

    Bring positive change to your life with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson – preorder her latest, The Mystic Jesus, picking up where A Return to Love left off...

  • The Power of the Heart synopsis, comments

    The Power of the Heart

    Baptist de Pape

    With its unprecedented convocation of eighteen of the world’s greatest spiritual thinkers, writers, and scientists, including Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coelho, and Eckhart...

  • American Detox synopsis, comments

    American Detox

    Kerri Kelly

    An Amazon Editor's Pick in Best Nonfiction“An intimate, honest, accountable, and thorough invitation into healing” adrienne maree brown, author of Pleasure Activism“This book is a...

  • How to Beat Trump synopsis, comments

    How to Beat Trump

    Mark Halperin

    "Sacrifices must be made, not just for the party, but for history"  MORE THAN 100 MILLION ANXIOUS AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW: HOW CAN DONALD TRUMP BE BEATEN IN 2020 AND EVICTED FR...

  • Das Universum schenkt dir alles synopsis, comments

    Das Universum schenkt dir alles

    Gabrielle Bernstein

    Wir alle spüren es intuitiv: Zwischen Himmel und Erde existiert viel mehr, als man mit bloßem Auge sehen kann. Die göttliche Präsenz des Universums wirkt in allen Dingen und in uns...

  • Tears to Triumph synopsis, comments

    Tears to Triumph

    Marianne Williamson

    Heal by embracing your pain with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson – preorder her latest, The Mystic Jesus, picking up where A Return to Love left offThe int...

  • Lass es mit Liebe geschehen synopsis, comments

    Lass es mit Liebe geschehen

    Debra Landwehr Engle

    Ein einzigartiger Ansatz, um Ängste und Probleme verblüffend leicht zu lösenSelbst in einer Zeit voller Umbrüche und Herausforderungen brauchen wir uns von unseren Ängsten und Sorg...

  • Now or Never synopsis, comments

    Now or Never

    Alexi Panos & Preston Smiles

    Alexi Panos and Preston Smiles, the internationally recognized next generation thought leaders, redefine what’s possible in relationships, career, and life.Alexi and Preston went t...

  • A Year of Miracles synopsis, comments

    A Year of Miracles

    Marianne Williamson

    In A Year of Miracles, Marianne Williamson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the classic A Return to Love and worldrenowned teacher, offers a daily devotional that helps...

  • The Gentle Art of Blessing synopsis, comments

    The Gentle Art of Blessing

    Pierre Pradervand

    It begins with a deeply inspiring wish for the positive welfare of another person. Writer and social justice advocate Pierre Pradervand believes that making the conscious choice to...