An Honest Doubter: A "This I Believe" Essay

Written by Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

Narrated by Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Elizabeth Deutsch (then 16 years old) became the youngest contributor to the first This I Believe series with "An Honest Doubter", in which she reflects on her active search for a personal philosophy and a personal faith.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring a star-studded list of contributors that includes John McCain, Isabel Allende, and Colin Powell, as well as pieces from the original 1950's series including Helen Keller and Jackie Robinson, the This I Believe book collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer, a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, TX and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring, funny and always provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of Americans whose beliefs, and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them, reveal the American spirit at its best.

This short audio essay is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of NPR's This I Believe anthology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Oct 3, 2006
• ISBN: 9781427203472

Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

When Elizabeth Deutsch was 16, she won a This I Believe essay contest in the Cleveland Press newspaper for "An Honest Doubter". Her prize was a trip to New York City to record her essay for broadcast on the original series, for which she was the youngest contributor. Deutsch, later Elizabeth Deutsch Earle, went on to become a professor of plant breeding at Cornell University. In 2005, she provided an update on her philosophies for NPR's new This I Believe series, titled "Have I Learned Anything Important Since I Was 16?"