If wisdom and compassion were gold, "The Book of Joy" would be too heavy to lift, so rich is it in these two qualities. The book recounts a week that Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu spent with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his home in India. The two have been friends for many years. The purpose of the visit was to produce the material for a book on how to achieve joy. They were accompanied on this journey by Douglas Abrams, their co-author.

Their daily discussions cover a variety of angles and approaches to joy. These are interspersed with much humour and bantering between the two octogenarians. Their love for each other shines through. Their wisdom and knowledge stem from two lifetimes of deep spirituality, and it is fascinating to find how the two men’s religious beliefs and practices so often overlap.

The book covers the meaning of joy, “the obstacles to joy”, “the eight pillars of joy” and “joy practices". In other words: What is joy? What holds us back from experiencing joy? What is the basis of joy? And, lastly, How do we attain joy? Douglas Abrams adds scientific information, which grounds what the “wise men” are sharing with us. He presents everything with a light touch, making the book very readable.

The subtitle, “Lasting happiness in a changing world”, holds much promise. And the authors certainly deliver. I learnt so much from reading this book, and will definitely reread it many times.