Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling | Book Review

Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling

Reading Group Rating: Anyone & Everyone

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: When J.K. Rowling was invited to deliver the commencement address at Harvard University, she chose to speak to the graduating class about two topics very close to her heart: the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination.  Having the courage to fail, she said, is so vital to a good life as any conventional measure of success; imagining ourselves into the place of another-particularly someone less fortunate than ourselves-is a uniquely human quality to be nurtured at all costs.
The stories Rowling shared and the provocative questions she asked of those young graduates have since inspired countless others to consider what it means to live a "good life."  Now in print for the first time, her words serve as both a comfort and a call to arms for anyone-of any age- who finds themselves at a turning point.  In daring to take a risk, and perhaps fail, and by harnessing the power of our imaginations, we can all begin to live less cautiously and, in doing so, become more open to the opportunities life has to offer.
"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."
-SENECA
Sales for Very Good Lives will benefit Lumos, a charity origination founded by J.K. Rowling that works to transfer the lives of disadvantaged children, and university-wide financial aid at Harvard University.  

Cover: The cover is simple, yet still a little cartoony.  There are cartoon drawing throughout the entire book so I think having drawn words on the cover really ties it together.

My Review: I read this book in fifteen minutes and I felt a gained enough knowledge to last me a lifetime.  It's amazing to me that words can do that, that words can open up so many things to the people who are willing to read them.  Now, obviously J.K. Rowling has a way with words and the ability to make them sound magical, however I could completely relate to her advice.  Failure and imagination and incredibly important aspects to lee with you at all times.  Failure reminds you that you're human and that you're not invisible.  But imagination can give you a reason to believe you are.  You can be invincible if you remember that it's okay to fail as long as you can rebuild from it.  Live your life without the fear of failure because you are going to fail, and you will all live very good lives. 

To me, this book, along with books like The Last Lecture and Oh! The Places You'll Go are coffee table books or books you would give as a graduation present.

Smile! I'll talk to you soon!xxx
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