3 out of 4 stars
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Are you a fan of reading creative autobiographies and analyzing literature? Then, do not miss your opportunity to enjoy and evaluate Soh Siew Huay’s Fate or Self – Created Paths!
At first glance, the book appears to be a compilation of unrelated short works; however, the readers will pleasantly discover that they are flipping through Huay’s autobiography. Although I usually expect memoirs to take on the form of a chapter book or dated journal, the author eschews traditional methods and brings to life her past in the form of short stories; and she shares her views about present-day political and social issues in poetic verses.
As someone who admires strong female protagonists, I enjoyed reading about Huay’s journey from humble beginnings to current educator, who continues to learn and dream. Although the author’s short stories are pleasant reads, her work unfortunately contains some typos and grammatical errors. As a result, I initially assumed that I would have great difficulty in understanding her poems.
Again, Huay surprised me. Although I noticed a few mistakes, the misprints did not distract me from her poetic messages. Huay welcomes changes. Since change is a certainty, the author believes that battling the inevitable is a waste of time. However, she does admit to being afraid of the world’s current change in course, which could be the result of listlessness – the killer of creativity.
As a result, the author strongly encourages readers to not lose sight of their vision and dreams, which require dedication and hard work. She also recommends finding an engaging occupation to avoid leading a purposeless life and brainless existence. In reference to Huay’s vocation, in particular, she believes that artists and poets filter out listlessness and idle waste from their lives by constantly trying to achieve nobleness and purity within their work.
As one could probably deduce, I decided to rate Fate or Self – Created Paths 3 out of 4 stars. Although I consider the author’s autobiography to be unique and refreshing, I realize that her short stories and poems are not for everyone. The reader - who will most likely appreciate Huay’s book - is someone who has a strong passion for analyzing literature. If you are the described reader, then I encourage you to read Huay’s work; and as you are aware, evaluating literary work is open to interpretation. Therefore, after your short and fun read, feel free to compare notes with me!
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Fate or Self -Created Paths
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