1 out of 4 stars
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Followed my Star by AR Annahita is a book about life and some aspects of it, about why some things are as they are and why people behave in a specific way. It is one of those books that can be helpful, yet having a very bad effect on people who do not know how to take the truth out of what is said, and sadly that can play a really bad role, even if the author himself/herself didn't have that in mind in first place. And the reason this can happen, and will most probably happen, is because every person is unique, the way they understand and comprehend information is very different. Some will do exactly what is said in a book, if it is said in a good way, even if it totally contradicts with who they are and what they have been doing until that moment. The book can teach you a lot of things if you know how to pick exactly those and ignore, or fix the mistakes.
For a reason when we read a book we always have the feeling that it will say the truth and the truth only, maybe because in the past books were the ultimate source of information, but sadly, or happily, that has changed over the years. Nowadays everyone can publish a book or share his/her ideas to the public, but why should it mean that what they say is true, just because it has been written on a piece of paper? A quote from the book 1984 by George Orwell is very suitable here:
That, of course, does not mean you should overlook on those things that you disagree with or those of which you haven't heard yet.The best books are those that tell you what you know already.
I give a 1 out of 4 stars to this book. Let's begin with why it even gets 1 and not 0. The main reason is that the things the author talks about are very close to reality, but not only that, they are also very true, at least most of them, and those are the main ideas of the books. And another reason is that it is written in a good way, very simple and easily understandable for most people who would read it. But in the process of the book, the author starts contradicting with what she has previously said. If at one point the talk is about love and peace, then in the next one a hatred, even in its primitive form, can be felt. But that isn't easily visible and that is why some people reading the book may get confused and therefore use wrong statements in their lives.
I observed throughout the book that the author often is more emphatic towards the poor people in the society, and less understanding towards the rich. And that, sadly, can be "helpful" for many people who do nothing in their lives, but blaming the others, have a solid ground on which to step while pointing at the rich and accusing them of their own mistakes and miserable lives. I believe that the author gets confused between the "rich who have got all with lies, manipulation or by pure accident" and the "rich who have worked hard for what they have". Here "rich" isn't the definition of the person, it is what comes after it, somehow it is easy to forget that both kinds exist in the low class or even in the middle class, but usually none of the pressure put on the rich people of the same kind is put on the people from the middle to low class. People always seem to focus on the rich and on blaming them, why I ask. But it is obvious, if not to all, then to me at least and to many others, it is because it's easier to point your finger at someone and saying that they are faulty for everything than facing yourself and fixing your problems. Of course, that does not mean that all rich people are good. Many of them are close- and poor minded who just happen to have money. So what is the difference between the one who has money and the one who does not? Aren't they still destroying the world?
Money. The author leaves the impression that money is bad, but what are money if not just a piece of paper? But again, it is easier to put the blame on something, which in this case happens to be money. Many people actually do believe that money is evil. People are evil. People who do nothing and still want all for themselves are evil. Yes, everyone wants a simple and easy life where the money comes as if from a tree and that is where the mistake is, thinking that money, or anything, should be given to someone just because. If you don't work for it, it won't come on its own. Let's take an example from nature. Imagine being a mighty lion, the ruler of all animals, yet you still have to hunt almost every day in order to survive, why wouldn't the prey just come to your mouth, don't you deserve it? But even in that seemingly perfect structure, some will try to take advantage of the others, but instead of tolerating such a behavior animals just kick out the one who is acting like that.
In the whole book the author talks about being in the middle and how good it is to be there, it is said so many times that at a point it seems like the author herself does not believe it and is just trying to make herself do so. But that aside, a simple quote from the book just "deletes" everything that has been said to that point
I truly believe and hope that the author didn't mean it exactly as it sounds and that she only meant that one should trust himself/herself the most rather than the others. But in the opposite case, the scenario changes completely, if we take the words as they are said it would mean going to an extreme, from which the book tells us to stay away. That does not mean one should listen and obey like a sheep. It just means that a person should always listen and consider what the others have to say and give it a thought, and that is the most important part because everyone can listen, but that by far isn't enough. Yet at the end, it is still the specific human being who takes the decision. Even with the purest and best books, an evil will remain evil, if he himself wants to.The last decision I had to make was to not listen to anyone but myself.
All those themes are mentioned in the book, but the way they are written and said leaves an impression that the author is trying to make the readers follow her exact words. The book starts with a good premise but later it turns more into a radical idea, and that is because there isn't any space left for the reader to think. For everything that is said the author gives a definition, many of which are poorly structured, and repeats it so many times that after some point even the truth in her words seems like brain-washing idea.
Also what can be annoying is that there aren't any page numbers, so that only adds up to the chaotic way the book is written. Personally, I didn't mind that because staying on the same theme for too long can be boring and monotone. A book should be interesting yet not too disorganized, which brings us to the middle of which the author talks about.
******
Followed my Star
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