Then came the traumatizing experience of listening to an audio back in the same area by another American who’s either called Mitchel or Mitcham. All I recall of the book is the cover that was depressingly beige and had a Ferris wheel on it. It was about an elderly man trying to cope with the death of his wife.
Last year I was disappointed again after reading The Alchemist that really didn’t add anything to my knowledge. It felt like sitting with my Grandma who always said with a sigh: “You could never escape your fate”.
Of course, I did understand the fascination of the West with it (lack of Arab grandmas in their society) but never comprehended the Arabs who kept recommending it to each other. Seriously? Spend some time with your elders instead of buying the book!
Other books of the same genre were either too happy and positive for my taste or gave me the false sense of being able to change the world after finishing the book. Till I came across a book called Leap Year by Helen Russel -- a British journalist who lived for four years in Denmark.
Helen decides to try out all the change theories to improve her life within a year. The book is divided into different sections that comprises aspects of everybody’s life: home, career, finance, relationships and wellbeing. Before each experiment Helen would research thoroughly – contacting experts around the world- to make sure she understands the process of change.
What makes this book stands out in all self-help books is its honesty and wit. Helen doesn’t give you the sense of her life being overhauled after trying out a few theories. Instead she keeps emphasising on the importance of taking small steps to make a big difference in the long term.
The book is interesting and funny. The writer involves her personal experiences (good and bad) which gives it a human touch and makes it easier to relate to. There are lots of laugh out loud moments when she attempts experimenting avant-garde theories such as the dance one that promises to increase her creativity.
The book also gives an insight to the Danish way of life that she had embarked on including Hygge that is described in Wikipedia as: “the mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment”.
This is one of the few self-help books that I learned something or two from and wouldn’t mind trying out, putting in mind that change theories don’t really work for everyone. Leap Year is highly recommended for sceptic readers - like me- who doubt self-help books.
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