The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho : Reviewing an international bestseller

I purchased Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist for 25.37 $, on 2014.09.17. It was suggested to me on the internet along with Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One hundred years of solitude. Those days I was an undergraduate studying business management and I was not exposed to world literature that much.

After a turbulent time period from 2014 to 2022, on June 18th I saw a list of eleven books to be read to improve my English on Facebook. In that list, the fourth book was 'The Alchemist'. It triggered me to read the book at an instance.

And after a request for a review from a Goodreads friend I realized why I should not write about this book which is very quotable and may be one of the most quoted books of the 20th and 21st centuries.

What mostly attracts me to this book is its short and sweet nature with a magical touch.

I will quote the prologue in the book to capture the essence of magic in this book.

I will not explain the two-page simple prologue to the readers of this review but will make sure they grasp the beauty of it by this extraction.

" I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."

When you read this novel it feels like a self-help book about discovering your inner voice and believing in yourself. Hence the concepts and theories of "Think and grow rich" by Napoleon Hill published in 1937 definitely come to my mind.

And also if the readers of this book wish to visualize the cultural and aesthetic aspects of this book watch Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

The poetic words and philosophy hidden in this novel remind me of Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931). I have read many Sinhala translations of his books like "The Prophet" (1923), "The Mad man" (1918), and "Broken Wings" (1912).

My 3-star rating which is surprisingly low is because I don't want to make a book that is magical and at the same time filled with coincidences to be a masterpiece. But yet I cherished reading this beautiful book.

Do the work - Steven Pressfield : The myth of motivation

 

In 2017.05.08 I read 'The War of Art' and 'Turning Pro' by the same author (Steven Pressfield) as 'Do the Work'.

First of all, I bought 'The War of Art' and 'Turning Pro' from eBay and they cost me 48.81$ (LKR 18,059.7 /=)

After reading both of the books I was motivated and even stated on social media that this book is like an energy drink.

But from 2017 to 2020 I was living a turbulent time having a very confusing lifestyle which reflects that like the books by Steven Pressfield represents 'Resistance' (Negativity of life and attitudes) won during that period.

But due to sheer luck, I was able to again find a job in a licensed commercial bank in Sri Lanka (Sampath Bank PLC) from June 2020.

In April 2022 I was not in a focused mentality, career-wise or in my personal life leading to many foolish decisions. (Starting an MBA)

I also purchased a load of books in Sinhala and English leading me to be empty pocket with cash in hand.

But then I saw a website called "Jumpbooks.lk", an online bookstore by a Sri Lankan which sold, the third book of Steven Pressfield's book series.

"Do the Work" by Steven Pressfield cost me Rs. 2990 which is overpriced considering its content and quality-wise. 

The book gives the readers the knowledge required to complete a project or any other work by breaking it up into several steps, planning it properly, not giving up until it's finished, and also by not fearing failure.

But besides the powerful words and his own experiences which are condensed into 98 pages, the book feels mythical and not a mutual experience hence feeling the reader is not motivated but rather misguided.

The two books that were previously published were much more focused where the review link is shared below.

https://bookerreadsdaily.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-war-to-motivation-2-books-to-change.html

Anyway, success is not just powerful words is the message to the reader of this review about "Do the Work".

 

Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill : The thought process for success

 

"T&GR" (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill was first published in 1937 and is a global phenomenon in self-help books.

It reflects the thought process you need to cultivate to achieve financial growth in your personal and professional life.

With world-renowned real-life examples from the United States of America (USA) and other success stories, the book reveals the power of your own thoughts.

Accordingly, if you are focused on the success you can achieve it with flying colors.

As a reader of self-help books who is thirty years old and has had a very turbulent academic and professional life feel a big regret for not reading these books early in my life. But reading them now at least gives a hope to avoid future mistakes and guide your thought process towards success and riches.

Napoleon Hill's book is evident to be more biased towards capitalism and its concepts as well as the power of the western world.

In this book, "Chapter 06 - Organized Planning" focuses on the new leadership style required by the world. It is not forced or received through hereditary but by transactional relationship or like a partnership.

Since "T&GR" was written in the times of "the great depression" in the USA (1930's) the book's perspective on leadership and mindset required to achieve success is vital for Sri Lanka under the post-covid-19 economic conditions. Sri Lanka in April 2022 is facing dire economic conditions and also is shrouded by dark in nature and corrupted politicians. So this book might give a better perspective to Sri Lankans to change their thought process to achieve success and growth as a nation and in personal life.

13 things mentally strong people don't do - Amy Morin : Waking up from the American dream ( A "Max Payne 2 : The Fall of Max Payne" reference)

 

I was very serious about reading books since 2016. So I read several self-help books to develop myself. I reviewed some of them too and shared them on social media.

(01) Rich Dad, Poor Dad - What the rich teach their kids about money - that the poor and middle class do not! By Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A. - 2021.09.19

(02) සිංහලෙන් බිස්නස් - 8 : සිහියෙන් සිටීම - සතිමත් බව කළමනාකරණ කුසලතාවයක් ලෙස (Mindfulness as an executive capability) : දීපාල් සුරියආරච්චි - 2020.06.13

(03) සිංහලෙන් බිස්නස් - 7 : රැකියාවයි ඔබයි : වෘත්තීය දිවියේ දියුණුවන මඟ (A handy guide to succeed in a job) : දීපාල් සුරියආරච්චි - 2020.06.13

(04) The Power of Now: Eckhart Tolle - 2018.09.08

(05) "The War of Art" and "Turning Pro": Steven Pressfield - 2017.05.08

(06) Unstoppable: The incredible power of faith in action By Nick Vujicic - 2017.01.28

(07) Boy meets depression by Kevin Breel - 2016.11.14

These seven books though were life-changing didn't actually help me to grow as a professional or to find some control in my personal life.

I was shifting jobs and careers constantly leading to my life being failed and unstable.

But these books gave me some sense of hope during these desperate times.

Amy Morin's book I read during the post-pandemic Sri Lanka gave me a hard punch on the face since it woke me up from the American dream I was having living in a third-world nation.

Sri Lanka's inflation is the highest in Asia. (2022 April) United States of America (USA) Dollar has depreciated the rupee value by a great margin. (2022 April) Hence life is pretty hard in Sri Lanka now. (2022 April)

The success you dream of in the USA is unachievable in Sri Lanka due to economic instability, political instability, corruption, and violence.

But in life, you can't give up and Amy Morin's "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do" is a guiding light with strategies to overcome mental instability and also to succeed in personal and professional life.

In the final chapter of the book, "Conclusion - Maintaining Mental Strength" three easy steps are provided to achieve mental strength.

(i) Monitor your behavior

(ii) Regulate your emotions

(iii) Think about your thoughts

To end this review of this great self-help book I will list down the chapters of the book for the readers to identify a bird's eye view of the book's valuable content.

Contents

Introduction

What is mental strength?

Chapter 01 - They don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves

Chapter 02 - They don't give away their power

Chapter 03 - They don't shy away from change

Chapter 04 - They don't focus on things they focus they can't control

Chapter 05 - They don't worry about pleasing everyone

Chapter 06 - They don't fear taking calculated risks

Chapter 07 - They don't dwell on the past

Chapter 08 - They don't make the same mistakes over and over

Chapter 09 - They don't resent other people's success

Chapter 10 - They don't give up after the first failure

Chapter 11 - They don't fear alone time

Chapter 12 - They don't feel the world owes them anything 

Chapter 13 - They don't expect immediate results

Conclusion - Maintaining mental strength 

References

Acknowledgments

Amy Morin herself is a counselor, a person who fought personal struggles and who got a breakthrough after a speech in the "Ted-Ed" forum led her to be a global phenomenon.

The title "waking up from the American dream" was derived from a video game called Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne which I played during my schooling years (1997 - 2010). I felt it was more relevant for my failed personal life as well as the turbulent times Sri Lanka is now facing.

Overall rating - 5 / 5

32 Immortal Soldiers - Prasad Polwatte : The better version

 

In 2016 "29 Immortal Soldiers" was published and I reviewed it in my blog that it is a better version of its Sinhalese book.

"32 Immortal Soldiers" was published in 2021 adding 3 more new honorary award winners of "Parama Weera Vibhushahanaya" (PWV) of the Sri Lankan Army. The book was expanded with new chapters containing information on the post-independent political history and also about the three-decade-long war.

This is actually a better version of the Sinhalese book with the same content.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - What the rich teach their kids about money - that the poor and middle class do not! By Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A. - The global phenomenon in publishing and about managing wealth

 

RDPD (Rich Dad Poor Dad) is a global phenomenon.

It is famous all around the world. 

In many business forums, lecture halls and private discussions this book is a major buzz creator.

To me as a failed student and a professional RDPD shed light on one of the main factors of life, financial intelligence or literacy.

This book unlocks the readers, the thought process of the rich, and their strategies to overcome financial losses.

An eye-opener to be read by everyone who seeks financial independence.

The following is an extraction from the book that reveals one of the skills you can garner to achieve financial independence.

"If you aspire to great wealth, it is the combination of these skills that will greatly amplify an individuals' financial intelligence.

In summary 

The rich with corporations

1. Earn

2. Spend

3. Pay taxes

People who work for corporations

1. Earn

2. Pay taxes

3. Spend

As part of your overall financial strategy, we strongly recommend owning your own corporations wrapped around your assets."

-Pg. 135-

තී සහ තා / Thee ha Thaa / She and He - Surath De Mel : A young, youthful and mischievous love story

 

"තී සහ තා / Thee ha Thaa / She and He" is Surath De Mel's 392 page, 650 LKR valued novel. Surath De Mel is a marketer by profession.

Though this novel was marketed as an urban love story, a suburban Gampaha living reader like me also was able to have nostalgic memories of my youth and young age with my generation being depicted in the story very well.

Unlike novelists like Martin Wickramasinghe and later writers, the barriers to having multiple interpretations of the novels were avoided by departing from the realist writing style.

Surath De Mel has used Anti-Art novelization tactics used by Upul Shantha Sannasgala, Saman Wickramarachchi, Chinthana Dharmadasa, and K.K.Srinath is evident when reading the novel.

How post-modern life and love can be confusing, corrupted, and even open can be seen when reading this disturbing and somewhat weird novel.

Though the novel becomes tasteless in the middle chapters, its creative and detached writing style from reality gives life to readers.

The storyline and the book, in the end, are filled with sadness and creates hopelessness in the readers.

This novel can be considered as a countercultural and subcultural reflection of the Sri Lankan society with a post-modern writing style.