Review by Shirazi Cat -- Followed my Star by AR Annahita

[Shirazi Cat]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Followed my Star" by AR Annahita.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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This is the third volume in the Followed My Star series, but the books are self-contained so readers need not worry if they haven’t read the previous instalments. According to the short note on this site, the author’s main creative outlets are photography and philosophy, so is under the latter heading that she would presumably place the present book. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that this extended essay moves in a somewhat nebulous terrain between self-help, spiritualism, religion, the political screed and, yes, philosophy itself. It is therefore a rather difficult one to neatly categorise, though not the less appealing for that.

If a label must be had, I would call this a piece of mystical gonzo sociology. This would account both for the focus, in several chapters, on individual spiritual development but also for the fact that, from abortion to xenophobia (by way of healthcare and social inequality) the author turns over many a political stone. What she finds underneath is, predictably perhaps, a lot of corruption, cruelty and greed. Diagnosis is only part of the story however – a possible remedy is also offered. What is missing not only from the American but also (in a globalised environment) the world scene is, Annahita suggests, a sense of balance, the ability to follow the good old golden mean: “Balance – the middle ground – is the best way to approach anything, or we never will be happy.” (Chapter 1) This central idea of “the middle” is to be understood as much in a moral/metaphysical as in a political sense, which allows the author to bring in, rather dexterously, the topic of the beleaguered middle class: “No one has paid any attention to the middle … The middle class are carrying the mistakes and have nothing to celebrate. They’ve been overlooked, misused, and are paying for all of society to run.” (Ch. 7) The middle, then, is the all-round solution not just in terms of individual ethics and social organisation but even in plain physical terms: “A warm temperature is the most comfortable temperature to us – not cold, not hot.” (Ch. 7)

Readers should not expect to find documentation, literature reviewing, citation or any other of the usual accoutrements of polite discourse here. The author does not claim to examine her subject in a “scientific”, or even objective, manner. One could also argue that the chapters, both themselves and as a sequence, move more by means of free association than in adherence to any readily apparent pattern of logical progression. Without pagination, its margins unaligned, without even a title page, the book also gives the impression of having been rushed to the printer’s (so to speak) straight off the author’s laptop. But perhaps none of this really matters – it could be that it is what gives the book its air of freshness. What does matter is that the text could have benefited greatly from the services of a competent editor. I am not referring to typos (the spelling is good) nor to mild instances of arguable misuse like “What do you expect as an outcome from a corrupted news station?” (Ch. 5) or “Truly happy, we can only be if we find who we are supposed to be and achieve it.” (Ch. 19). Solecisms are excusable, I think. But sometimes the meaning, though ultimately discernible, is considerably obscured by unhappy phrasing, as in “The immense spending that has been done in healthcare for science, for technology that has been established, needs to be made affordable to be used by the American people” (Ch. 5) or in “They say to their people that it is wrong the way it runs in Europe and exactly the same tells the media to their people in Europe that it runs wrongly in America.” (Ch. 3). There are, regrettably, several such instances and they can have a real effect on the reader’s ability to follow an otherwise interesting argument.

On the other hand, when the author avoids the sort of elaborate diction which sometimes ends unfortunately, and keeps it short, the results are rewarding. She then appears to have both a sense of rhythm and a real knack for the well-placed aphorism. Thus, we are informed that “We are all children of this world” (Ch. 2), that (with regard to abortion) “A child shouldn’t raise a child” (Ch. 4) that “These days, we are only paying into the accounts of people in power” (Ch. 5) and, to give a final, favourite example, that “If an alien came by and offered us a price for our planet, we would be easily sold for [sic] slavery.” (Ch. 8) One can take or leave the opinions themselves but one can hardly argue with the forcefulness of the expression or with the fact that the author captures concisely some very real and pressing contemporary concerns.

Given the long paragraph delineating its shortcomings, it will come as no surprise that I have reservations about giving this book the highest rating. But I cannot give it anything less than 3 out of 4 stars for that would be unfair in view of its compensating features. As with many theses opting for forceful declaration rather than cagey reserve, this one too is open to the worldly retort that things are not that simple. Indeed, when one reads that, for example, “God makes sure that a person who is willing to give will always have the money to give” (Ch. 7) one has to wonder if some irredeemable youthful naiveté is not at play here. But this is part of the book’s power, and I recommend that those interested in contemporary social issues check it out. I already said that readers will not find here an academic treatment of these issues. What they will find is a good deal of common sense backed by an often ferocious energy.

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Followed my Star
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Like Shirazi Cat's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Dr Nefarious]

That's one long review, man! Was all that detail necessary? Anyway, i can't say the book sounds very appealing.

[Astrophil]

What exactly, pray!, is "mystical gonzo sociology"? It does sound interesting...

[Shirazi Cat]

@Dr Nefarious

I think you will find that you are wrong about the book's appeal if you actually read it.

-- 31 Oct 2017, 11:16 --

What exactly, pray!, is "mystical gonzo sociology"? It does sound interesting...

Thanks, it actually is!

[Reet Aulakh]

The review is well written. Thanks for the review ?

[Shirazi Cat]

@Reet Aulakh

Thank you for your kind comment.

[Dr Nefarious]

I might do that... and i hope you are right!

-- 01 Nov 2017, 08:39 --

(just to be clear, i am responding to Shirazi Cat's comment)

[Shirazi Cat]

I might do that... and i hope you are right!

-- 01 Nov 2017, 08:39 --

(just to be clear, i am responding to Shirazi Cat's comment)

I believe you will find that I am!

[Dr Nefarious]

to Shirazi Cat:

But why would i want to read a book that's as frequently unintelligibly written as you say?

[Astrophil]

to Shirazi Cat ("thanks, it actually is!"):

Welcome. Still not sure what mystical gonzo sociology is though!

[Shirazi Cat]

to Shirazi Cat:

But why would i want to read a book that's as frequently unintelligibly written as you say?

I think I make it clear in the review that the book possesses qualities that compensate for its occasional problems of expression.

-- 02 Nov 2017, 17:33 --

to Shirazi Cat ("thanks, it actually is!"):

Welcome. Still not sure what mystical gonzo sociology is though!

You' ll have to read the book to find out!

[Kalin Adi]

When reading this book, I found very strong points. But as you mentioned in your review, this looks more like an essay than a book. I do think if the author polished it, the message within it would be better conveyed. Great review!

[Shirazi Cat]

Thank you very much for your comment.