BOOK TITLE: It Doesn’t Hurt To Be NiceISBN: 978-9382665489
AUTHOR: Amisha Sethi
GENRE: Fiction / Self Help
NUMBER OF PAGES: 144
FORMAT: Paperback
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone
HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank Sandeep Sharma and Tushti Bhatia of Author Paradise for this review copy.
SUMMARY:
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate. She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life. More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the 'hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains — most of which lie deep within us…our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the 'heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you). Walk with Kiara to find a better you, because It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice.
REVIEW:
The title and the cover give you an idea of what the book is going to be about – and you know what to expect!
FIRST IMPRESSION:
The cover is one of the first attractions of this book. The brown tone and the paper boats combined with the colourful font of the title attracted me enough to pick the book up and read the summary.
The printing and the font are clear, the paper is slightly browned and smooth to turn and hold. The caricatures need special mention and they are printed in such a way that they do not hamper the typeset of the book.
REVIEW:
I have read many self help books recently, and that includes two Christian books that talk about encounters with the metaphysical being. These encounters usually are not direct, but are projection of thoughts and feelings. While I frowned internally when I read through these, I realised that the book summary did give me subtle hints about the same. It was up to me to read or refuse to read the particular book.
‘It Doesn’t Hurt To Be Nice’ by Amisha Sethi is a book about – yes, you guessed it – being nice. It is not pretentious; it does not try to tell you something else. It tells the story of Kiara, a dynamic career woman who faces various situations in life and realises that in all situations, it doesn’t hurt to be nice after all!
The writing is simple, clear and the language is not difficult to understand.
What to expect from this book:
- Verses from the holy Gita, with English translations – in easy to understand phrases are the highlights. They are given in their native Sanskrit, and the pronunciation is then done in English.
- Little cute caricatures at the beginning of each chapter that have a Calvin lookalike who is adorable and cute – and yeah, they have conversations too!
The book has used a fictional story as a medium to send across what it calls positive thoughts. But this means there is not much of a plot and rather a set of events put together as a story.
Overall, a casual observer cannot but feel that this is the Hindu version of the Christian spiritual tale. But I read it when I was a bit low and loved the positive, overly cheery mood of the book. If the good philosophy of ‘doing unto others what you would like to be done to you’ is one of your life mantras, this book will give you a lot to think about.
WHAT I LIKED:
- The illustrations
- The verses
- The name Kiara.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
- The summary gives no clue as to what you could expect from this book. In an angle, the book is way different from what I expected from it.
- The book could have used fiction to better effect, and made a much stronger impact, given the content it had.
VERDICT:
Go for this one if you like philosophical stories told with a tone that speaks as if to youngsters.
RATING: 3.5/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amisha Sethi is an executive scholar from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, and holds an MBA degree in Marketing from Amity Business School. She was awarded the "Young women rising star" at World Women Leadership Congress 2014 and has won numerous awards and recognition in her corporate life. Along with holding top notch positions in leading companies in the past thirteen years, she has also done extensive research in ancient scriptures. In this book, she uses certain hilarious, dramatic and enthralling experiences of a young girl to understand the ultimate purpose of life — to be a better human with each passing day.
EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback, Kindle
PRICE: Rs. 118 for Paperback, Free on Kindle Unlimited.
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