2 out of 4 stars
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Discovering Who You Are is a motivational nonfiction book that falls under the category of personal growth. Written by Say Thu Varadewa, this 52 page book was published by Partridge Publishing Singapore on April 11, 2017. Through her words, Say Thu Varadewa hopes to assist readers in discovering their purpose in life. Discovering oneself, as well as never giving up, are two of the prevalent themes found within this book.
Say Thu Varadewa was awarded her nursing diploma in 2013 while studying in Singapore. She then continued her education in the year 2015 at the University of Queensland, Australia. Helping others has always brought Ms. Varadewa great joy, even in the cases where a person was unable to return the favor. Her writing would later become another way in which she could help others.
Each day, Ms. Varadewa would take time to reflect for her own self-improvement. Reflection is a tool she brings up in her book, as well. She then began journaling about her thoughts and feelings. Because she felt that her thoughts could help those trying to find their purpose in life, she decided to turn her reflective journaling into a book that she could share with others.
It was in December of 2015 when Say Thu Varadewa decided to write this book. She was still working, and also going to school part time, so she had very limited time to put her thoughts together. Despite not having more time, she finished writing her book in November of 2016. The commitment and dedication she showed in finishing her book are both traits she wishes to highlight as being important when it comes to achieving one’s dreams.
This is a book written in dedication to those who do not want to give up in life. Through her personal experiences, the author wants to inspire those facing difficulties. In the Preface, she opens up to the reader by discussing her challenges with depression – she started to feel lonely; she was no longer interested in things she once enjoyed; healthy challenges became obstacles; and she cried often. She began implementing techniques she learned as a nurse, as well as those she learned as a Buddhist, to treat her symptoms. Her relief was only ever temporary. She knew that she would have to face her own feelings before she could help anyone else.
After the Preface, this book is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter holds an important message for the reader. These messages include, never give up; have the courage to dream; forgiveness is key; learn from your own experiences; do the right thing, not just what feels good to you; and more. The author weaves these lessons into her stories and experiences starting from those right before she began going to school abroad to become a nurse.
I really like the messages that the author is sending through her book. They really foster self reliance, hard work, and working through your mistakes rather than giving up. Life is full of challenges, and how we deal with these challenges affects the directions our lives take after each situation.
I would have liked for the author to provide a little research to back up her ideas. I understand that this book is a result of her reflective journaling, but I still think it would have been beneficial to perhaps include some psychological research or studies. Nothing huge, just enough academic backing and support to solidify the author’s ideas.
The other, and more significant, problem I had with this book was the amount of errors I encountered during my reading. They were significant enough to slow down my reading progress, as I would sometimes have to reread a sentence to be sure I had its correct meaning. Some examples of the errors follow:
The first sentence of the book reads, “Dedicated to everyone who do not wish to give up in life……….”
It should read, “Dedicated to everyone who does not wish to give up in life.” (It is also not a complete sentence, but dedications are not always written as complete sentences, so that was not a big deal to me.)
Location 20 – “Being as a nurse, I exactly knew what I had to do and I tried all those interventions.”
This would be better written, “Because I was a nurse, I knew exactly what I had to do, and I tried all of those interventions.”
Location 92 – “My mom was kept asking me if I did not get what I dreamt for what I would be going to do.”
This would sound better if written, “My mom kept asking what I would do if I did not accomplish my dreams.”
Because the errors truly disrupted the flow of the book, and because there were so many, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I read it more than once in hopes that I would find reason enough to rate this book higher, but in the end I kept it at 2 stars. Even if all an author does is hand his or her manuscript to a friend willing to proofread it for free, he or she is still taking steps to polish the work before publishing, and I feel like this is an important step in making sure we are providing our readers with the best work we can.
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Discovering Who You Are
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