One Good Deed by Erin McHugh
Girl Guides are supposed to do one good deed each day. I thought that McHugh may have got this idea from them but she doesn't mention the Girl Guides. I try to do this too - when I remember.
I was pleasantly surprised by One Good Deed, McHugh's diary about trying to do a good deed every day. It could have been dull or preachy, but McHugh's journal entries never failed to be interesting and likable. We cheer along with her as she gives away free ice cream to teenage girls, makes a donation at a free concert and carries a customer's heavy books up an escalator and to a taxi. We also sympathise when she fails to find a good deed to do and she struggles to be nice even when she feels like snapping or groaning.
One Good Deed also contrasts life in McHugh's home town of New Bedford, a pretty whaling town, with life in busy New York where people find it difficult to trust each other but they're often kind and helpful anyway.
This is highly recommended and I hope to follow McHugh's example. She may be interested to know that I did just that today - I was going to buy a 'Sizzler' but I didn't want to wait so I donated the money to the charity instead.
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