How Lady Gaga & Her Mom's New Book Is Encouraging Youth To Spread Kindness

In a world full of division, crisis and turmoil, Lady Gaga is pushing her agenda for goodwill and mental health awareness with the release of her new book, CHANNEL KINDNESS: Stories of Kindness and Community. In partnership with her Born This Way Foundation, which was co-founded alongside her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, the book draws from the organization's Channel Kindness platform, which features stories about making a difference in the community through transformational acts of kindness.

With essays from 51 young activists, the collection of feel-good tales further cements the pop titan's mission statement, both inside and outside of her music. Yet, it wasn't always easy for Gaga to openly share her own narratives — even with her own family. In fact, CHANNEL KINDNESS ended up being a stepping stone for the mother-daughter duo to help each other heal, communicate better and understand the essence of compassion.

"We understood the power of storytelling early in my daughter’s career when she made a courageous decision to begin sharing her story publicly," Cynthia told iHeartRadio of conceptualizing the book. "Though I was nervous about how people would react, we noticed her doing so empowered young people to do the same. Born This Way Foundation began celebrating and sharing those stories on our online ChannelKindness.org platform, and people from all over the world felt inspired to share their stories with us. We hope by compiling and releasing these stories of kindness, compassion and resilience in this book, the chain reaction will continue to empower even more readers of all ages to bravely share their stories as well."

While Cynthia said she cannot cite a specific story or two that stands out amongst the batch, she said the unifying theme of "kindness, bravery and utter resilience" is loud and proud throughout the collection of essays. "These stories are authored largely by young change-makers who are making a difference in their communities, and they've proven that kindness is not only actionable, but transformational," she explained. "Our authors are inclusive. They're advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. They're trying to take care of their mental health and eliminate the stigma that surrounds it, and they're supporting others in their community. Each story in this book affirms what we already know to be true. This is a very aspirational generation that wants to make a difference. Young people and their kindness are changing the world."

Gaga kicks off the book with the foreword, The Value of Negative Space, an introduction to the release that helped Cynthia learn more about her 34-years-old daughter. "What especially struck me in my daughter’s story was how impactful these early struggles are in a young person’s life," Cynthia confessed, adding that the effects are often permanent and important to validate sooner rather than later. "We need to understand that what may seem like a one-time incident can have a lifelong impression. In not only responding to those experiences with kindness, but actively filling the empty space where there may be an absence of kindness, we can help to make a difference in a person’s life."

Part of validating Gaga's own experience with her mother required open communication that took plenty of work. Cynthia explained that her own upbringing didn't encourage open dialogue about emotions. As a matter of fact, she was expected to be tough and get on with it. "Though there were many times I thought I was listening to my children, my daughters helped me understand that I wasn’t validating their experiences," she admitted, citing the Born This Way Foundation as one of the many ways she's learned about youth fearing judging about their struggles. "As parents, we need to model healthy conversations and continue to be open and honest about our own mental health. We can reduce the stigma and help them feel less alone. It's made me a better mother and better equipped to talk to young people. Now, I’m able to be stronger for my girls instead of feeling like it’s hard for me to hear about their issues. I'm still learning every single day, and I don’t take that opportunity or responsibility lightly - for my kids, and everyone else’s kids."

The book arrived on the heels of Gaga's newest music video for "911," a four-minute clip chronicling one of her recent mental health struggles. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the short film sees Gaga make her way through a surreal dreamscape, only to awake injured from a car-bicycle accident with strong parallels taken from the dream.

Germanotta said she's "always been proud" to see her daughter share her mental health journey through her art even if she's caught off guard at times. "I found the storytelling in the film to be totally unique and remarkably beautiful," she said of the clip for "911." "Though at first, I was startled by the ending, as no parent wants to see their child in pain. However, my daughter helped me understand her need to paint her experience with trauma and pain through this creative and powerful lens of visual poetry. It’s important for me to be strong and supportive for her, as well as validate her emotions and she works through her pain in this way. It’s real and incredibly healing for her."

"The stories in this book prove kindness really is healing and transformational, and no act of kindness is too small to make a difference," Cynthia continued of the book. "We all have the ability to build a kinder and braver world by being kind to ourselves, others, and our communities. Our biggest mission and hope is that when people read this book, not only will they feel inspired to engage in kind acts of their own, but also feel empowered to bravely share their stories."

Click here to order your copy of CHANNEL KINDNESS. Stories of Kindness and Community.

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