2 out of 4 stars
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Followed my Star is a non-fiction writing in which AR Annahita tries to articulate the importance of balance in society, the world and life in general, urging a primarily American audience to action (in every chapter).
The organization is a surprise err... shock?! If you are used to looking at the cover, for a summary, reading what others have to say (including who they are!), and so forth, be warned -- you will see none of that here.
Not only that, there is no table of contents, no index and the chapters do not have names. Having an outline, a visual, comments, something to indicate what the reader is about to get into is necessary bait. On the flipside though, the lack thereof is where my curiosity got the better of me and for those that didn’t, read the review
In terms of style & presentation, it is simple, plain English, written by a non-native speaker without frills or complex sentence constructs. As opposed to its present form, the author could consider delivering a speech. After some generous editing, of course -- a 64-page book would be a bit much at the mic.
Views are presented in a direct, no-nonsense manner, a good thing but bereft of stories, visuals, literary devices, humor, solid facts or objective reasoning, not to mention overall eloquence, the impact is lost, especially for those needing a hook, hand-holding or reasoning to be convinced (most of us, yes?).
Chapter 1 tees off stating everyone is searching -- for happiness, for love… something. However, fulfilling desires is not the answer. In fact, desires are the cause of suffering. True freedom is “letting go”.
Chapter 2 gets into how evil exists but it is people that give it a home to sustain and grow. These very people say, “why is no one doing anything?”, 3 attempts to contrast the systems and freedoms of America and Europe, notes good and bad in both and concludes a good system needs to be worked on together to be balanced and fair.
Chapter 4 brings up the hectic pace of life, how religion is used politically, then launches into a tirade on abortion and homosexuality, challenging that books written centuries ago are not gospel. 5 pushes affordability in US healthcare and putting an end to corruption while 6 expounds on the concept of a balanced view. My favorite chapter.
Chapter 7 presents a socialist view focused on the middle class, 8 deplores the materialism around us and 9 brings it back to the middle as the place to gain true satisfaction.
Chapter 10 is about life being a process whose purpose is change and growth, 11 elaborates why opposites exist and 12, the shortest chapter yet, at two pages, is a half-baked take on poverty… I guess?!
Chapter 13, in essence, rehashes the Europe-America discussion (circa Chapter 3), Ch. 14 talks about quality being sacrificed at the hands of economic greed and 15 examines how likes and dislikes express, then goes after the capitalists as well as the folks who allow them to be and do.
Chapter 16 emphasizes one’s own internal compass, 17 explains the dangers of the Law of Attraction, 18 accents the spiritual angle and onto the last chapter, Chapter 19, which closes on a happy “the power is within each of us” note.
In Summary, as courageous and well-intentioned the author may be, the writing comes across as part-philosophy, part-personal rant, ironically, out of balance, which along with a lackluster presentation, fails to impact. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
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Followed my Star
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