Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

Say So by Marian Hanna MPH| Book review

415soOjdMCLDelving into loss, empowerment, and despair, this is a unique, page-turning art of nonfiction with real-life stories. This is a compilation of gorgeously written stories about daring to be more, transcending expectations, and generating opportunities for yourself when doors are being slammed in your face. This book will provide the road back to yourself when you’re lost and teach you how to stop doubting the greatness in yourself and act with love, as the absence of love is fear. This is an honest, blunt, sassy, unapologetic and raw account of life-changing insights of hope, faith, and personal transformation.

As the reader discovers the depths of courage in vulnerability, you learn along with her that in forgiving your past and moving toward your truest selves, you will flourish in the chaos of life.

My review

Say so is a collection of stories about real-life experience and the lessons learned from it. The author has narrated a piece from her own life through simple words. The author never tries to sugar-coat the harsh realities. She put down the raw face of real-life realities as it is. This helps to take responsibility for our actions. This encourages us to create our opportunity and carve our life in our terms.

The author includes her personal stories to convey each lesson. Why she included her personal stories in the book is explained in the first chapter itself. It is a powerful medium to connect with our audience. Because the author herself has gone through all these difficult situations and realized her faults. She talks about her life lessons. This helps the readers to connect with the lessons.

The author has dedicated more than 50% of the book to only one topic: how to understand and manage fear. For me, all the chapters dealing with fear was empowering. They help to understand myself and my flaws. Fear creates doubts about our capabilities. This doubt hinders us from reaching our goal. To be courageous is no small feat. We often find us in our shell of comfort. These lessons teach us to be more courageous. Just like the saying, everything you want is on the other side of fear.

The rest of the chapters talks about some other great points, such as facing criticism. We never want to hear criticism. We hate it. Because it shows our vulnerability, our flaws. But if and only if, we can accept our flaws then only we grow ourselves and use it for our advantage.

Altogether, this book was a great learning experience for me to understand and renovate myself to face more challenges.

Rating:5/5

 

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Poems, poetry, Self-Help, Young-Adult

Coiled by Marian Hanna MPH|Book review

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People often confuse self-confidence to mean pride and vice versa but, the truth is pride and self-confidence are poles apart. The difference between pride and self-confidence is made clear in Coiled.

While self-confidence helps you to understand your strengths and makes you aware of your truth, pride is a brash covering for inadequacies; it never lasts. Self-confident people don’t need to brag about their strengths before you will notice their strengths, as they are conspicuous and accommodating.

The difference is crystal clear for all to see, like the ravishing beauty of a girl with curly hair that twirls. Hearts melt when the sun emblazons its natural light on their coils of confident people, but they are never one to make noise about their beauty because they know that loud talk never validates their beauty.

My view

Coiled is the celebration of curly hair! I came across this topic for the very first time. I have read many writings about breaking gender biases and stereotypes. But this author has chosen a very different topic to address these issues, curly hairs. This beautifully written poems are about celebrating the differences and ethnicities by accepting them. Although the poems gave importance to curly hairs, it also carefully acknowledges all others. This is the underlying message that every reader should accept from this book.

I have read Curse of curls from the same author before. So I felt that this is the continuation of that book. Here the author gave emphasize on developing self-confidence and mutual love. This message is presented through the close-knit bond of sisterhood and friendship, addressing little girls. As always the illustrations also contribute to the beauty of the book.

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fantacy, Fiction, Poems, poetry, Self-Help

Curse of Curls by Marian Hanna MPH|Book review

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Curse of Curls is a probing piece that mirrors the inherent biases in our diverse world and rightly deciphers them.

Using curly hair as a symbol, Hanna understands the prevalence of stereotypes, which constantly dislodge the truth and forms our judgment of what is right or wrong.

Curse of Curls asks vital questions such as – Why are we naturally averse to something we do not know? Why do we deny ourselves the chance to learn, grow, and embrace new perspectives? Why can’t we embrace other outlooks to life? Why must one be looked down with disdain for the other to be rated highly?

My view

Curse of Curls addresses one of the most important issues of modern society, stereotypes. Judgment and body shaming is one of the most prevalent virus in our society. Instead of accepting the diversity, we have made a class difference with them. This narrow mentality is the root cause of every problem in the world. The author is trying to preach about the essentiality of a broader mindset that accepts everyone by acknowledging their difference. The best example that the author has been chosen to express this issue is the biases towards curly hairs. The author presents both sides of the story addressing the little girls who are prone to these stereotypes from an early age.

This beautifully written writing piece talks about empowerment through embracing our differences. Through addressing children’s the author is trying to eradicate these stereotypes from its roots. Apart from the writing, I also liked the illustrations included in the book.

Rating 5/5