In a world that it all too addicted to negative news and dwelling on all that is wrong with the world, it is nice to know and come across content that focuses on the positive, and themes of appreciation and gratitude. By putting together The Book of Awesome, author Neil Pasricha brightens things up by shifting our focus and attention to the thousands of amazing things that exist in our lives each day!
This is a fun little book that anyone can enjoy to experience more beauty in their life and seize the moment to realize the awesome world we live in.
Book and Author
The Book of Awesome was written by Neil Pasricha. Neil is a Canadian author, who currently resides in Toronto.
In 2008 Neil started the web site 1000AwesomeThings.com where the idea was to post 1 awesome thing each weekday. Amidst some personal life transitions, which some may call difficulties, Neil continued to add awesome things to his site and not before long, he was bringing happiness, joy and some inspiration to many around the world. His web site became a success and he landed a book deal, which today brings us The Book of Awesome.
The book was published in April 2010 and is currently available for sale at your local or online bookstore.
Book Format and Structure
There are lots of fun things about this book, but perhaps one of the best is its structure. This is not your typical, chapter by chapter book, that you have to read from start to finish. This is the book that you can open up any day, any time and on any page for some good laughs, optimism, inspiration, and fun!
The book is almost 400 pages, of hundreds of awesome things in our world. It begins with a short introduction from Neil and than jumps into one awesome thing after another.
Each awesome thing starts with a descriptive title and than goes into a short (paragraph or less) or longer (a page or two) description of that awesome thing.
You can read one each day, a few per day, or all in one day, of the fun and awesome things that Neil has put together.
Book Content & Personal Commentary
What I enjoyed most about this book is its lightness. This book is warm, light-hearted, funny and upbeat.
While I personally love reading works of non-fiction that make me think, as well as sharing them in reviews here, one of the most common excuses I hear from people is that at the end of the day, the last thing they want is a book to “make them think”. And I can completely understand that, as in our often hectic lifestyles, we think too much and don’t laugh enough. Most of the day for many is more focused on the negative and less so on the positive aspects of life. This is where Neil’s book comes.
Another excellent thing which ties into the above ideas, is that this book is great for anyone. Whether a teen, a single mom, a workaholic dad, or retired senior – this book is suitable for all! It is due to its lighthearted nature that this book is sure to please all ages and backgrounds. After all, who doesn’t like a fun and happy pick-me-up? So one other thing I can tell you about this book, is that if you are looking for a unique gift idea for someone, this book is great for that.
So by now you may be wondering what exactly these “awesome things” are? The awesome things in Neil’s book are anything from hitting a bunch of green lights in a row to hanging your head out the car window. Whatever makes you happy or just gives you that good feeling all over is what Neil’s book is all about. Its those millions of things in our world that are just “awesome” and so many of us overlook in our hurried routines.
Maybe you get that warm and fuzzy feeling within when you smell bakery air, or maybe you have just found an old mixed tape that an old flame had made you – whatever it is, it is those moments that make us stop, if only for a second and appreciate what life has to offer.
You may of course not agree with all the “awesome things” in the book being awesome for You. And naturally you don’t have to. Remember our world is diverse and imagine how boring it would be if everyone liked the same thing. So enjoy the things in this book that resonate with you, and appreciate the things that don’t for doing the same for other people.
Although there were so many awesome things I loved, and narrowing down to five was actually really hard, I will share my top five personal favorite awesome things from Neil’s book:
Remembering how lucky we are to be here right now (this topped my list hands down, I start, end and infuse gratitude regularly into each day and nothing feels better)
The thank-you wave when you let somebody merge in front of you (okay don’t laugh, but this actually sometimes brings tears to my eyes, especially when I let a trailer truck in and they press on their breaks to blink a few times kind of thank-you)
Popping bubble wrap (guilty! what is it about that stuff, it’s like cat nip for adults LOL :)
Having a whole row by yourself on the plane (this actually has not happened to me yet, but perhaps one day, oh the stretching possibilities…)
The last day of school (This was awesome while I was both a student and a teacher….ah, summer vacation…)
Conclusion
In today’s times, when so many of us are running around, all too often in various states of unhappiness, it is good to share in the energy of this book. I personally don’t think there is such a thing as being too grateful, or too happy, and so this book definitely gets two thumbs up from me.
What we focus most on, we give the most thought to, and today we know that we shape our reality with our thoughts. Great feeling, optimistic, positive, happy and joyful thoughts all have the power to transform the world. And in a world where the news is normally bringing us down, it is books like these that help offset the drama and negativity, and remind us of all those special and wonderful things in our world.
In The Book of Awesome, Neil makes us smile, makes us laugh, makes us reminisce good times, but above all these things, he is reminding us of all the incredible things that we have to be grateful for each and every day. And that alone is a huge gift he has bestowed on the world.
To purchase a copy of the book, visit your local bookstore or check out Amazon.com (below).