Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness by Houston Kraft is the 2025 U of A One Book One Community campus read.

Kraft will be speaking at the annual author keynote at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the Faulkner Arts Center. There will be a 45-minute keynote address and a 15-minute Q&A to follow. There will be a book signing in the atrium directly after the event.

There is also an author luncheon at noon Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Arkansas Union 503-504. Registration is free but required for this event. There are 50 seats available for this event.

Houston Kraft

I am a professional speaker, author, curriculum developer and kindness advocate who has a passion for sustainable impact, positive culture change and student success. I have spent time in over 600 schools internationally delivering trainings and keynotes. I am dedicated to changing the way we educate young people about compassion and character. In 2016, I co-founded CharacterStrong, which provides curriculum and training for 10,000 schools in 50 states and 35 countries. In 2020, I published my first book with Simon & Schuster: Deep Kindness. The companion guide, Be Kind, was published in 2023.

Book Synposis

Practicing kindness is an essential step in helping to repair a world that has grown to be more divisive, lonely and anxious than ever. But with quotes like, "Just be kind" or, "Throw kindness around like confetti," we've oversimplified what it takes to actually demonstrate kindness in a world crying out for it.

Deep Kindness pairs anecdotes with actions that can make real change in our own lives, the lives of others and throughout the world. Diving into the types of kindness the world needs most today, this book takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to practice it well — and shows us how to put intention into action. Exploring everything from the empathy gap to the skill of emotional regulation, Deep Kindness is perfect for anyone who believes in a kinder world and recognizes that there is a lot of work to do before we achieve it.